Whole again
by Gothic984
Summary: Merlyn tries to come to terms with her new state of being, while Matt reflects on his predicament.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories Emotion, Old Friends, Family, Difficult Decisions, Reflection, Spirit and Acceptance.

It was a cold morning in Juniper House and Matt Crower stood at the window of his dim lit cell, staring at the frost which covered the lower region of the glass. The effect weather had on the surroundings had always fascinated Matt and focusing on the frosted windowpane helped him forget about his current place of residence.

Matt had been so angry that he had torn out pages from his journal and scrunched them up in his closed fist. When he was first brought to Juniper House a year earlier, the on site therapist had suggested he write all of his feelings and thoughts in a journal to assist with his recovery. He had been woken up early this morning by the screams of another inmate and had decided to read through the years worth of pages; however, what he read had taken him back to his first few months here and he could not get the visions out of his mind.

Matt was taken back to his first day here, after he had challenged Lucas and shouted his beliefs that the evil man would inevitably be stopped, he had felt deflated. When he was awoken from a broken sleep that first morning he had been dragged out of his cell, thrown into an ice cold shower then beaten by some orderlies. After they had finished their abuse he had been thrown back into his cell and left for hours before any food was brought to him, Matt had told himself at that point that he would not be broken and this was all part of Lucas Buck's plan; however, the torture continued exactly like this at the same time every morning for several months and it was hard to keep his resolve.

When scheduled meetings with a therapist began to take place the torture ceased. He began to think he had gotten through the worst of what was in store for him and was amazed when he started to receive regular visits from Gail. He had opened up to her about everything that had happened to him and she had comforted him, recorded his concerns on her tape recorder and assured him she would expose Juniper for what it was, a corrupt place which was secretly ran by Lucas Buck to get rid of any resident who challenged him.

Gail visited him every day for a month and their friendship grew to something more in that time. Matt began to pine for her when she left and felt butterflies in his stomach when he heard her whispers through his cell door, which indicated her arrival each morning. After a month he finally could not hold back his feelings any longer and kissed her, she had welcomed his embrace as they kissed and had held him for hours. Matt had watched her walk down the dingy corridor out of the small opening on his cell door when she had to leave that day, then stared on in horror when she turned towards him showing a wicked smile and morphed into his wife, his daughter and then finally Lucas Buck, before disappearing completed.

There were no visits after that and Matt realised that the whole month had been some type of cruel vision forced into his mind by Lucas. The man himself would visit him to taunt him once a week and the remainder of the time Matt would hear the voices of his dead family, Merlyn Temple, Caleb and Gail. Matt started to realise that he had finally lost and Lucas had broken him. He made peace with the fact that every person he knew that had visited him were not real and he would never see the people he had grown to love again, until the day Gail had finally truly managed to find her way to him.

Matt had read all the pages in his journal and ripped them out in disgust at the torture he had endured, showing them to Gail would help her expose this place for what it really was; however, he would never allow her to find out the full extent of the damage caused to him, especially with her strange behaviour of late. No, she had saved him and brought him back to the land of the living, therefore, he would protect her from the horrors he had endured and not allow her to feel any guilt over to how long it took for her to get to him.

Matt knew exactly who was to blame for everything that had happened to him and he would get his revenge. Everything seemed perfect for Lucas at the moment, he had Gail, a loyal following and he even had Caleb trying to impress him. Matt did not know how Lucas managed to turn smart people to his will; however, he was determined to expose the evil that is Lucas Buck, he just needed to bide his time.

A knock on his cell door came and Matt smiled, it was time for his day leave and Gail was earlier than usual. Matt threw the papers scrunched up in his fist in the bin and grabbed his jacket, ready to meet his friend.

* * *

Merlyn sat at the breakfast table staring at the remainder of the food on her plate, with Rocky nipping gently at her ankles. Before she was fully whole she would feed the dog under the table so Gail would not see that she was not required to eat; however, her hunger was constantly present now and she could not get enough of food.

She knew it was the day Gail picked up Matt for his day leave from Juniper House so she had made her way down the stairs early from the spare bedroom she had been allowed to occupy, in the hopes that her cousin would make her some breakfast. Gail had obliged and cooked some scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes to which Merlyn was very appreciative of.

Gail told her that she hoped to be back by the time Caleb got out of bed and if not Merlyn was to ensure he got to school on time. Merlyn was happy to help out, she had nowhere else to go and her cousin appeared to have just accepted that she was now staying with them. If Lucas was correct and she was in fact alive, she needed to start being of assistance to her cousin to ensure she was not seen as a burden.

Merlyn had only had a week so far to come to terms with Lucas' revelation about her and she had not taken the news well. At first she was overwhelmed and upset, she had accepted what Lucas had done to her previously and had gotten used to the guidance of her fallen family so becoming whole again was not what she had wanted and it felt unnatural. She had then became angry at the situation as her choice had been taken from her and she was not willing to just accept this new way of being.

Gail had spotted her one night pacing around her backyard angrily mumbling to herself, she had sat her down and allowed her to have a bit of her wine to calm herself down. Her cousin told her that she had noticed how much Caleb appeared to care about her and she was lucky to have him in this hard time it appeared she was experiencing. She explained that she had gone through life completely alone when she was her age and if her family was in fact all dead, she must have been given a second chance to start over; therefore, she needed to stop focusing on whatever was making her angry and start living her life.

Even though Gail did not outwardly appear to acknowledge who Merlyn really was, the conversation indicated that deep down she knew and she was trying to offer her some advice. Her words had made Merlyn reassess the situation and she had chosen to accept what had happened and enjoy the time she had with her brother.

Rocky jumped up and placed his paws on the kitchen table, then began to whine softly. Merlyn shook her head and gave the dog a piece of the last pancake, then stroked his head affectionately. She was not used to this seemingly normal family life and seen as she was stuck in this form for the time being, she would allow herself to enjoy the normality guilt free. She had not asked for this and she had not managed to find any reports about unborn children being lost; therefore, she would let herself assume this was a blessing, unless she was told otherwise.

Caleb walked tiredly into the kitchen dragging his feet against the floor like a zombie and sat down opposite his sister. He look disappointingly at the empty plates in front of him and Merlyn smiled apologetically as she finished off the last piece of bacon. 'Merly there's three big plates here, how much did you eat?' he asked shocked, whilst rubbing his eyes.

Merlyn shrugged, stood up and took the plates to the kitchen sink. 'I've got over a year to make up for Caleb...I'm startving!' she said laughing.

Caleb smiled, it was great having his sister back and he loved that she seemed so relaxed. He initially thought it was Lucas who had made Merlyn whole again; however, she scolded him for trying to give Lucas credit where it was not due. Caleb did not care who or what made this happen, he was just happy that he had his family and it was not like the last time Merlyn had come back, as he had been checking newspapers with his sister to ensure nothing bad was happening. 'You eat whatever you want Merly, I'm just gonna have some cereal. Where's Gail?'

Merlyn took down Caleb's favourite cereal from the cupboard and passed him the box, then got him a bowl and some milk. She saw a sandwich wrapped in foil in the fridge and took it out, as she was still hungry. 'She's gone for Matt, she should be back soon...' Merlyn said taking a bite out of the ham and cheese sandwich, '...I need to get you to school if she's runnin' late'

'Don't you worry about the school run Missy...' Lucas said leaning against the kitchen wall, '...I'll drop him off. Your cousin will be a while anyhow if she's up at the nut house'

Merlyn shook her head, she hated this appearing act of Lucas'. 'Firstly, I don't need your help getting my brother to school...secondly, didn't Gail ban you from coming around like this?'

Lucas smiled at her boldness, it clearly ran in the family. 'I don't mind takin' my son to school M...' he said choosing to regard her like Gail did, '...and I don't think his cousin would have a problem with me checking in on the children of this house'

Caleb stood up from the table, he could sense the tension in the air beginning to build up and he could not deal with this before school. 'Lucas can take me Merly, someone needs to walk Rocky anyhow'

Merlyn glanced at Rocky who was growling quietly at Lucas, 'Fine...I'll do you a new sandwich and I'll make sure Gail knows exactly how you got to school'

Caleb shook his head knowing his cousin would not be happy with Lucas just turning up like this when she was not home, but he would stay out of it. He needed to go get ready for school otherwise he would be late and he did not think Gail would approve if he got detention.

* * *

Gail stood with Matt leaning against a railing on the pier with a cup of coffee in her hand, playing with the necklace Lucas had given her on Halloween. The symbol had looked familiar and after some research she had found it was in fact a talisman which was supposed to aid with protection like Lucas had told her, Gail was not sure about any of that but she liked it and had barely taken it off since she got it.

The weather had begun to turn cold and the water was not as calm as it had been the previous month. She had failed to get back home early enough to drop Caleb off at school; however, she trusted M would ensure he was on time, therefore, she had decided to head straight into town to get a start on her daily tasks.

It had been a hard week for her dealing with the new occupant in her house and the presence within her, she was proud of herself for managing to control the mysterious part of herself whilst taking on another dependant. She had felt a slight void within her since the Mayor's fancy dress party and that seemed to give her something to focus on while she practised pushing the darkness within her deep down. She was happy that there appeared to have been no incidents which could potentially involve her and this freed her up to accept Lucas back into her regular activities.

Gail had visited Lucas late last night and had stayed over at his place while her dependants were sleeping, she had every intention of returning home before they woke up so they would not know she had slept somewhere else and had set an alarm for 6:30am; however, she had been awoken at 5:00am by an unusual dream about Matt being continuously tortured by orderlies in Juniper House and the dream somehow turned towards her being intimate with him. Gail had not known what the dream meant but she had experienced a sudden concern for her friend, which resulted in her sneaking out of Lucas' bed earlier than intended and wanting to get to Juniper as soon as possible.

Matt had been very quiet in the car on the way into town, she had thought some fresh air might do him some good and she certainly was happy for some caffeine to help wake her up properly. 'So, you look as tired as me...' she said in an attempt to break his silence, '...are you not sleeping?'

Matt took a sip of his coffee and stared out into the river, the waves were hypnotic and he found it hard to take his attention away from the calming movements. 'It's hard to sleep in a mental asylum Gail' he said with a shrug.

Gail watched her friend closely with concern, there was definitely something wrong with him and he seemed more withdrawn than usual today. She needed to get him out of Juniper soon, or the place was likely to suck out all of the goodness in him and turn him into a lifeless shell of a man.

Ever since she accepted the thing that resided deep within her, she had began to get a lot of clarity about certain things in this town and Juniper House was one of them. She could sense the bad things that had taken place there; however, she could not find any proof to back up what she knew. Her story was initially based on Holly Gallagher and the fact that she had been hidden away in that place for years, her investigations opened her up to finding out about some experimental procedures that had been performed and a corrupt chain of command; however, she was unable to gain access to any patients she believed had been harmed and Matt would not open up about his experience there.

Her story hit a wall when Holly's mother withdrew consent to publish anything about her daughter, Gail knew that was down to Lucas and he was trying to back her into a corner to ensure this little game they had going about Matt would be controlled by him. Without evidence she could not move on Juniper House and she had decided she did not want to give in to Lucas' deal like she had initially planned to, unless she absolutely had to. If Caleb decided he wanted t spend time with Lucas she would not stop him; however, she would not to anything to sway his decision whether it would help Matt or not. Right now she was stuck in a rut and her friend appeared to be suffering because of it.

Gail placed her hand gently on Matt's shoulder and gave him a warm smile when he finally turned his attention towards her. 'I'm trying the best I can here, but I'm running out of leads. You just need to stay strong for a little while longer and remember I'm working on it'

Matt forced a reassuring smile, he knew she would try her best to get him out of Juniper; however, he did not believe Lucas Buck would allow that happen and he was unsure whether Gail would be able to challenge Lucas when she was romantically involved with him. Matt would never imply such a thing to his friend, he knew her too well and an insinuation like that would cause her to put up a barrier between them.

No, he would just continue pretending he was oblivious to her romance with the devil of Trinity and would not show his true feelings on the matter. 'I'm fine Gail...' he lied, '...and I got myself into this mess not you. You can only do so much before you end up taking on the burden of my actions, I don't want you to do that. If you can come up with some moral way of getting me out that's great, but if not I'll just deal with the consequences of my own stupid actions'

Gail knew he was hinting at her not to make a deal wit Lucas, but he would not come out and say it. 'I'm a bit girl Matt and I'll do what I want, you just make sure you keep on being sane until I can figure something out...I don't want you cracking up on me in there'

Matt laughed, 'Already done that Gail and it won't happen again'

'Glad to hear it...' she said smiling, '...now let's go and get something to eat'

* * *

Lucas spotted Gail's car outside Sandra's Coffee and Breakfast shop as he was driving towards the Sheriff's Station and decided to check what his love was up to. He parked up, walked casually over to the window and watched attentively as she was laughing with Matt Crower on one of the tables. He inhaled deeply in an attempt to push down his irritation, he did not appreciate how close the man's friendship was with his love.

Gail had not been in his bed when he awoke this morning and she would normally wake him to say goodbye. He had assumed she had returned to his son earlier than expected; however, it had become evident when he turned up at her place that she had already gone for Harvard and left the children to fend for themselves.

Lucas did not like to be pushed to one side, especially for the man before him so he closed his eyes and focused on Gail's mobile telephone. He envisioned it ringing with her boss's number and smiled when he heard the familiar ringtone, then opened his eyes to see her rush up from the table and go out back to answer the phone.

When Gail rushed outside to answer her phone to her Editor Mark, there was only silence on the other end. 'Mark, can you hear me?...Hello?...Damn it!' she said staring at the mobile phone irritably, she was due to have a meeting with him later that day and had hoped he was calling to cancel. Before she could call him back she felt hands grab her hips tight and was pulled back into a toned chest, she did not have to turn around to know who holding her and smiled when she felt his lips brush gently against her neck. 'To what do I owe this pleasure Sheriff?' she asked sweetly, leaning back into his grasp.

Lucas smiled and began to kiss her neck softly. 'It appears I didn't get my goodbye kiss this mornin' due to the man in there, I thought I'd best come over and remind you what you missed out on' he whispered as he let his hands trail over her stomach, then pushed a hand under her skirt and moved it slowly between her legs.

Gail inhaled deeply and allowed him to stroke her, she knew by know they would only get caught if Lucas wanted them to and he knew better than that. 'Are you worried about what I missed or what you did?' she panted and reached behind her to play with his crotch.

Lucas moaned quietly at her touch and pushed his fingers inside her. 'A bit of both I suspect Darlin'...' he whispered in her ear and bit it playfully, '...how about we get outta here for a while and I'll show you exactly what should've transpired earlier?'

Gail moaned softly when she felt his fingers enter her, she still yearned for him every moment of each day. If this was any other day he would have his wish; however, it was the day she had Matt and she could not leave her friend. 'As good as that offer sounds Sheriff, I have someone depending on me in there and I can't just leave'

Lucas gripped her stomach tight to hold her to him then pushed another finger inside her and smiled when he heard her deep intake of breath. He nuzzled at her neck then began to nip at it playfully. 'Harvard is used to being locked up in a cell, what's a little while on his own in a coffee shop gonna hurt?' he whispered.

Gail felt herself start to become unravelled with his persistent movements inside her, she felt the familiar sensation begin to rush through her as it usually did when her body started to betray her and closed her eyes tight trying to seek some assistant to regain her self control. She did not want to abandon her friend, especially when he was acting strange; however, her body was aching for Lucas.

Gail started to plead with her subconscious to stay strong as she her guard was beginning to waiver and cursed herself when Lucas removed his fingers from her to lead her to his car. Suddenly she felt a wave of strength rise within her and she pulled her hand out of his, then stepped away from his grasp. 'No!' she said in a voice unlike her own.

Lucas stared at her confused, he had been sure that he had her and this sudden display shocked him. 'No?' he asked in disbelief.

Gail felt the presence she was working so hard to control take over body; however, it did not appear to be malevolent, it seemed to be helping her resist her urges and she was thankful for this surprising intrusion. 'You heard me...I'm busy, we'll pick this up where we left off later' she said and turned away to head back to Matt.

Lucas grabbed her arm tight and pulled her face close to him, he could see the glint of darkness in her eyes and it was willing him to challenge her. He did not like that the presence inside her appeared to be working against him; however, she had been doing well to control her inner companion recently and he would not give it a reason to surface fully, at least not yet. 'You go on to Harvard, but you're mine tonight' he said sternly.

Gail glanced down at her arm and he released her, then she gave him a devilish smile. 'You can count on that Sheriff' she said and walked back into the coffee shop.

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head, now he would be pent up for the whole day waiting for her to come to him.

* * *

Merlyn walked aimlessly around the streets surrounding Gail's house for an hour with Rocky, trying to figure out what to do with herself. She had nowhere to go and nothing to do but hang around Gail's house and keep Rocky company. She had started to look at this dog as her only real friend and would talk to him about all the things she used to be able to do as a ghost, it was very therapeutic knowing she could get everything off her chest and Rocky could not repeat her confessions to anyone.

Merlyn turned onto Gail's street and felt Rocky pull hard on the lead, knowing he was returning to his home. She smiled and wished she could call a place home, Gail had allowed her to stay with Caleb whenever she wanted; however, it was a strange arrangement and although her cousin accepted her presence, she did not accept who she truly was which meant Merlyn could not feel at home there.

'So you're the reason why I haven't had any calls to do any jobs' Poppy Bowen said as Merlyn approached Gail's porch.

Merlyn regarded Poppy carefully, she was taken aback at being noticed and Poppy stood with her arms crossed in a hostile stance which indicated she was mad. Merlyn ignored Rocky's pulls to get at Poppy and began to walk around the back of the house. 'I don't know what you're talkin' about' she said timidly, as she tried to move away from the confrontation.

'The hell you don't...' Poppy said coming down the porch steps, '...I don't know why Gail would choose you instead of me, but it's not right you takin' my job from me...I need the money'

Merlyn could tell Poppy was not going to leave her alone and having monitored her cousin's experiences with people in the past, she had noticed the best way to deal with confrontation was to tackle it head on and not back down. She let Rocky off the lead to run around the garden then turned towards Poppy. 'Look, I haven't taken your job...I'm family and I'm expected to help out while I'm stayin' here' she said, using the story Gail previously had with her friend Mary.

Poppy knelt down to stroke Rocky when he ran up to her and smiled when he ran to the back of the garden. 'I didn't think Caleb and Gail had any family but each other' she said standing back up.

'Not that it's any of your business, but I'm their cousin from out of town. I'm sorry if you've not been needed recently, it wasn't my intention to take your job away from you' Merlyn said, knowing Poppy had wanted this job to save money so she could move away from this town.

Poppy shrugged, this girl seemed nice and she had not meant to come across as angry. 'You're family, there's not much that can be done about that...What do you do when Gail's at work and Caleb is at school? Gail works long hours so I can imagine you have quite a lot of spare time'

Merlyn laughed nervously, 'That's an understatement...I can't go to school so I just keep Rocky company most of the time, there's not much else for me to do'

Poppy nodded, she knew what it was like to be stuck in a place without any friends. She had been going stir-crazy cooped up in the house with TJ, that was why she had wanted a job to get away from the place. She sensed a kindred spirit in the girl before her, she had an air of loss and loneliness about her which Poppy could relate to. 'I like to spend time at the library when I get bored of being cooped up...I'm headin' there now if you wanna join me? I can show you a few quiet spots around town to save you having to wait around in the house all day...oh and I'm Poppy by the way'

Merlyn smiled, this was the first time she had actually had a conversation with a girl her age. 'I'm M and I'd love to join you if it's not too much trouble'

'It's no trouble at all, let's feed Rocky then we'll just go' Poppy said smiling.

* * *

Lucas sat in his car watching closely as Merlyn and Poppy came from around the back of Gail's house. He had spotted Merlyn walking Rocky and after his failed encounter with Gail he had decided tormenting the girl would give him a welcome distraction from his pent up feelings; however, Poppy had been waiting on Gail's porch and he would not dare make a move on Merlyn with any witnesses present.

He had still not figured out how Merlyn had came to being whole again and the situation was concerning. Lucas knew there was no-one in this town with the power he wielded and even though Gail's darkness had made itself known within her, he did not believe she possessed the power to bring someone back from the dead.

No, something had happened before the Mayor's fancy dress party when he had been distracted with his birthday and Caleb; however, he would get to the bottom of it sooner or later. Right now, he would just monitor their ex resident ghost closely to see what she was getting up to.

-To be continued-


	2. Chapter 2

Gail sat with Matt in her office at the Trinity Guardian waiting for her meeting with Mark. She had gotten used to working from home since she had arrived in Trinity; however, Mark had ensured she had a nice office with a window overlooking the town hall in case she wanted to get away from the distractions she was facing at home.

Matt had inspected her office curiously then sat down on the new couch Mark had put in and put his feet up on the coffee table in front of it. 'This is a bit extravagant for a new employee don't you think?' he asked.

Gail smiled, the office was huge compared to the one she had held at the Charleston Post. It was set up as if she would entertain some sort of clients and she could sense the jealousy around the office whenever she came in. 'I suppose my Editor is trying to show me that I didn't make the wrong decision leaving the Post, either that or he feels the need to give me special treatment with him being an old family friend' she said glancing out of the large window at the street below her.

'You're a good Reporter Gail, it'll be more than just who you know. From what you've told me of this Mark he values you and wants you to stay at the Guardian' Matt said standing up from his position on the couch and walking towards his friend.

Gail still missed her old job; however, she had not been given much choice and she had done well to land on her feet here at the Guardian. She was loyal when it came to employment and it was not in her nature to jump from job to job, so she had no desire to leave her current position here. 'There are other ways to show appreciation rather than alienating me from the other staff by giving me this luxurious office'

'I'm sure there are other ways Gail, but I thought you might appreciate something with a little style' Mark said leaning against the office door.

Gail rolled her eyes, then turned around and forced a warm smile. 'And I love it...it's just a lot when I'm not here most of the time'

Mark shrugged, 'Well maybe that will change in the future...You're looking well Matt, it's nice to see you out and about'

Matt regarded Mark suspiciously, he had met him once or twice when he had treated his daughter at the hospital but not enough to claim to know the man. 'It's good to be out and about, thanks for allowing me to wait here for my friend'

Mark smiled and signalled for Gail to follow him. 'It's no bother, if Gail says you're alright then you're fine with me' he said and walked out of the office.

Gail placed a reassuring hand on Matt's shoulder, 'Make yourself comfortable...hopefully this will be over quickly' she said then followed Mark to their meeting.

* * *

Merlyn walked causally along the pier with Poppy, eating an ice cream. They had spent a few hours at the library and now they decided to spend some time out in the fresh air getting to know each other, as they were enjoying each others company.

'So, what brings you to town now M? I thought any family of Caleb's would've shown up when his daddy and sister died' Poppy asked licking her ice cream.

Merlyn inhaled deeply to calm her nerves, she needed to get used to the questions people may have if she was to stay around. 'I dunno, I suppose I didn't want to confuse him and wanted to let him settle in with Gail before I showed up. He's been through a lot, he didn't need to be bombarded' she lied.

Poppy nodded, 'That makes sense...he's a good little man'

Merlyn smiled, 'Yes he is. He's really fond of you I hear'

'What do you mean?' Poppy asked as they found a bench to sit down on.

Merlyn shrugged, 'I dunno...I think he might have a little crush on you. He's talked about you a lot, it's as though he's smitten'

'Caleb's a little young for that don't you think M?...' Lucas asked appearing behind the girls, '...although he sure has good taste if he is taken with this firecracker'

Merlyn sighed as Poppy stifled a giggle and her cheeks began to blush at the compliment. 'What I think is you should remember who you're taken with rather than botherin' us' she said standing up and signalling for Poppy to follow her.

'Oh I've not forgotten who my heart is callin' for Missy, I'm just makin' an observation' Lucas said walking in front of the pair to block their way.

'Heart?...' Merlyn laughed, '...I doubt it's your so called heart that's in control when you're with my cousin'

'I should hope not...' Gail said approaching the group with Matt in tow, '...I'd hate to think I'd have to waste my time dealing with the L word'

Lucas turned towards Gail and put on his best southern gentleman smile, ignoring the venomous look Matt was giving him. 'You never know Darlin', big things could be in store for us in the future' he said sarcastically.

'I think I'll pass on that...' she laughed and went to M's side, '...You should've told me you wanted to come into town, I would've swung by for you' she said to her new housemate and put a protective arm around her shoulders, sensing Lucas' aversion for her.

Merlyn smiled, 'I wasn't plannin' on going anywhere, but I stumbled across Poppy'

Gail turned towards Poppy and smiled. 'Hey stranger, how are you keeping?'

'I'm good thanks, I've missed hanging around with Caleb and Rocky though' Poppy said and stared nervously at her hands.

Gail had forgotten that she had promised to give Poppy some work, her mind had been all over the place with Caleb moving in and she had completely neglected this young girl.

Lucas saw an opportunity and decided to take it. 'Seen as you two girls have hit it off, I'm sure Gail wouldn't mind you both babysitting Caleb and Rocky on a regular basis to free her up to stay over at her friends house for a few nights in the week' he said and softly stroked his hand discreetly down Gail's back.

Before Gail could speak Poppy jumped up and down excitedly. 'That would be awesome!'

Matt walked in front of Gail to get her attention, he felt as though he had been completely pushed to the side while this conversation was taking place. 'Am I not here?' he asked.

Gail shook her head in exasperation. 'Don't be so damn dramatic...' she said to her friend and turned towards Lucas, '...I'll decide what I need from Poppy and when, I don't need your assistance Sheriff'

Lucas smiled mischievously at the chance to torment Matt and disregarded the two young girls who were present. 'If I remember correctly you were more than happy with my assistance last night Miss Emory'

Matt took an angry step towards Lucas when he heard Poppy giggle; however, Gail stepped in front of him to prevent any reaction. 'If you're not careful Sheriff you'll be assisting yourself in the future' she said grabbing Matts hand and leading him towards the pier railing.

'Well in that case I suppose I better hold my tongue and leave you good people be' Lucas laughed and gave Poppy a charming wink, making her blush again.

'You do that' Merlyn said and turned towards Matt when Lucas began to walk down the pier away from them. She had previously visited Matt in Juniper House in an attempt to provide clarity of who was real and who was not, she had witnessed the cruel games Lucas had played on the man and was amazed he was able to refrain from hurting Lucas when they were together. 'Is he OK?' she asked Gail.

'He's fine...' Gail said rubbing Matt's back softly, trying to help him calm down. She could not stop Lucas making comments about their relationship, it was just who he was; however, she was left to deal with Matt whenever Lucas decided he wanted to remind her friend what they were doing. '...You are fine aren't you? I know you're not soft enough to let his comments faze you' she said to her friend.

Matt took a deep intake of breath and turned towards Gail, this was the reaction Lucas wanted and he would not give him the satisfaction of allowing him to spoil the little time he got to spend with her. 'Of course I'm alright...' he lied, '...It would be nice if you could keep a leash on him though'

Gail forced a laugh, 'If I could keep a leash on that man it would make everybody's life much easier'

Merlyn stood close to Gail watching how she interacted with Matt. Her cousin seemed more comfortable with men than women and appeared to have no problem with friendly physical contact like hugging or holding hands when she was with the men in her life; however, when it came to her women friends she kept them at arms length. Merlyn did not know why there would be a difference in behaviour and could not hold back her curiosity. 'Why are you more friendly with men than you are with women?' she asked.

Gail turned towards to girl next to her and regarded her suspiciously, she had a curious look on her face and Gail did not like to be the object of someones curiosity as she liked her privacy. 'Cause woman don't truly know how to be friends...there is always a chance of jealousy or vindictiveness when they get together. Men are so much more simple and forthcoming, it's easier to tell when they're hiding something. That's my experience anyway...Matt this is the new boarder I was telling you about'

Matt looked over Gail's shoulder to inspect the young girl and took a sharp intake of breath, he would recognise that face anywhere. 'Merlyn Temple?' he asked surprised.

Before she could stop it the presence within Gail flew to the surface and took control at the mention of the girls true identity, causing Merlyn to take a step back when she realised something had changed in her cousin. 'Are you taking your medication friend?...' the malicious voice said, '...it's concerning that you're seeing dead people, maybe we should take you back to Juniper to be checked out'

Matt took a few steps away from his friend, something different had come over her and he did not care for the slight tone of venom in her voice or the apparent threat. 'Gail, are you alright?' he asked concerned.

The dark presence glanced towards Poppy to ensure she was out of earshot and began to circle around Matt. 'Guess again...So, you want to talk about dead people friend? Why don't we talk about your wife and child...or we could talk about the fantasies you had of me when you were locked up? I doubt they're as interesting as what I get up to with the good Sheriff, but I'm sure my other side would want to know what you believed you both did' she said with a devilish smile.

Merlyn took a few protective steps towards Matt and pushed him back, she knew from monitoring her cousin previously that this was not her and she had been taken over. Gail would not want to hurt Matt, so Merlyn tried to take the focus off him. 'Leave him alone, he's been through enough'

'Oh look, Casper has decided to jump in with us Doc...' she said to Matt then turned her attention towards Merlyn. '...You ungrateful thing...' the darkness whispered so Matt could not hear '...After what your cousin gave up for you to be here, I'd expect some loyalty'

'And what did she give up?' Lucas asked appearing out of nowhere, he had sensed his love's darkness surface and was instantly drawn to it.

Lucas was met with a malicious smile, she sensed he was trying to figure out how Merlyn came to be and it amused her that he did not know. 'That's our little secret Sheriff and we're keeping our lips sealed...if I was you though, I'd keep these people in line. The next time they try to upset her I won't hold back' the darkness said, then retreated back inside Gail to allow her control again.

Lucas stared at Gail in awe, it was as though her darkness was a separate entity and he was more intrigued than ever. What could she have given up that would assist Merlyn and how would she know how to bring her back? He had always been the only one with that much power, he did not know what he thought about her potentially being able to match him with what appeared to be little effort.

Gail gave herself a mental shake and regarded Merlyn who was stood in front of Matt protectively. 'Well don't you two look cosy' she said with a warm smile, not remembering what had just happened.

Matt glanced suspiciously at his friend, he was unsure of what he had just witnessed; however, he thought her demeanour was back to the kind woman he knew. 'Are you OK Gail?'

Gail laughed and looked at him confused. 'Why wouldn't I be?...and when did you decide to show up again?' she asked glancing at Lucas.

Lucas disregarded her question and walked close to her, then caressed her cheek gently. Gail allowed his hand to stroke her face for a moment then pulled away. 'What did you do?' he asked curiously.

Gail licked her lips playfully and smiled, 'Now that would be telling Sheriff'

Merlyn could still sense something different within her cousin and she could see how drawn to each other Lucas and Gail were. She did not fully understand what had been done to her; however, she had witnessed enough horrible things that Lucas had done to know he did not react well to being challenged and she did not want Gail getting involved with that side of him. 'My name's M...' she introduced herself loudly to Matt, in an attempt to get her cousins attention '...you're mistaken about who you think I am. I hear you've been locked up in Juniper House for quite some time, it's good that you've managed to get out and about'

Matt did not trust the girl in front of him; however, he was trying to take his mind off how close Lucas was standing to Gail and welcomed the conversation. 'I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Gail, I hear she rescued you too'

Gail glanced at them both and shook her head, 'You two need to behave...you're both making me out to be something I'm not. Do you need a ride home? I have to go check on Rocky'

Merlyn smiled at Gail's indication her house was now her home and Gail seemed more herself. 'Me and Poppy would love a ride, we could even take care of Rocky for you if you have anything else you need to do'

Lucas shook his head at the display in front of him, Matt's goodness and Merlyn's sweetness sickened him. 'Well isn't this a tender moment...when you get bored of your present company, I'll be waiting' he said to Gail as he bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, knowing it would infuriate both Matt and Merlyn.

Gail knew she should pull away from this dominant display; however, she was beginning to grow tired of performing for all the people around her and Lucas was her guilty pleasure after all, so she tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him closer to make the kiss more intense. When she pulled away from him she leaned close to his ear as he moved his hands to her waist. 'When you get tired of tormenting people, I'll be waiting' she whispered playfully then pulled away from him and signalled for the group to follow her to her car.

* * *

Caleb lay on the kingsize bed in his bedroom trying to wrap his mind around the Algebra homework Miss Coombs had given the class to complete, he did not see the point in wasting his time on homework; however, Gail would not let him visit with Matt until it was done.

Caleb could not concentrate on his homework as he had witnessed Poppy spending time with Merlyn today and he had forgotten how pretty she was. It was strange seeing his sister's attention on someone other than him and usually he would not like being left out, but he liked Poppy and he was happy that she had been around.

'Look at you son, being so distracted by a girl. You could do worse than that firecracker' Lucas said, leaning against his closed bedroom door.

Caleb smiled and closed his homework book, he was used to Lucas' appearing act by now and was not fazed by it. 'I dunno what you mean...and anyway you're one to talk' he said impertinently as he got up from his bed.

Lucas smiled then feigned a confused look. 'Me? whatever are you talkin' about son?'

'I'm talkin' about you hoverin' around my cousin whenever you get the chance, what are you talkin' about'?

Lucas laughed, 'Well I'm talkin' about your current infatuation with the young Miss Bowen'

'Whatever that means...' Caleb said feigning innocence, he liked being able to talk to Lucas but he knew Gail would not be impressed by his visit. '...Does Gail know you're here?'

Lucas shrugged, Gail was too busy entertaining Harvard to be concerned with his whereabouts at this present moment and Merlyn was too busy trying to fit in with Poppy to care about what Caleb was doing; therefore, he decided this would be the opportune time to bond further with his son. 'If you hadn't already noticed, the women are preoccupied son...I bet we could sneak out of here for a game of pool without them even noticing'

The thought of sneaking out gave Caleb an excited feeling; however, that was short lived when he glanced at the homework book on the bed. 'I best not, Gail would have my hide if I didn't complete that dang thing' he said nodding towards the book.

Lucas smiled, 'Oh ye of little faith son...grab your book, come here and close your eyes'

Caleb looked at Lucas suspiciously, but followed his instructions. He stood next to Lucas, closed his eyes and allowed him to take his hand. He felt something stir within him when Lucas placed the palm of his hand on his chest, Caleb inhaled deeply and allowed himself to be controlled trusting the man before him completely.

Lucas felt the small spark of power within his son and focused his twin on it, when his twin wrapped it's hand around the spark and gave an extra push he let go of Caleb's hand and they both opened their eyes.

Caleb was taken aback by the unfamiliar surroundings, he was no longer in his bedroom and he heard voices on the other side of the dark room that they were now stood in. 'What happened? Where are we?' he asked curiously.

Lucas smiled, 'Never you mind what happened, just make sure you keep this between us. We're gonna test my theory of whether we can get away with a game before you're missed'

Caleb smiled, he knew he should be scared by what just happened but he was not. He was intrigued with the forces at play and wanted to learn more; however, he would not ask questions just yet. 'What about my homework?' he asked as he followed Lucas out of the room to the large Pool Hall.

Lucas took the book from Caleb and walked towards the bar. 'Hey Marie, you're lookin' mighty fine tonight. Can you grab me my usual and a beer for my friend please Darlin'?'

Marie blushed under Lucas' gaze, she had developed a huge crush on the Sheriff since she had spotted him in here several years ago and his little compliments always made her day. 'Comin' right up Sheriff, I'm assumin' you're not gonna bust for me pretendin' your friend is of the legal age?' she asked playfully.

Lucas put on his best southern gentleman smile, it was so easy turning the women of this town to his will. 'Not unless you wanna be placed into my protective custody Darlin''

Marie bit her lip as she placed the drinks on the bar. 'That depends on whether you'll be using your handcuffs Sheriff' she said flirting.

Lucas smiled, aware of Caleb being focused on his actions. He was not stupid enough to cheat on his love, but a little harmless flirting never hurt anyone. 'Whatever the lady wants, the lady will get...' he said laughing and winked at Caleb when he handed him the beer, to indicate he was not being serious. '...while I've got you here, could you do me a favour and glance over this? It would help me a lot if it was completed before I finished my game' he said handing her the homework book.

Marie glanced at the book, then at Caleb and smiled. 'Well as long as this is our little secret and some angry parent ain't gonna accuse me of nothin''

Caleb put on his best innocent smile for Marie, 'It'll be our secret ma'am and I appreciate any help you can offer'

Marie nodded and winked at the boy, there was something about him that made her want to help. 'OK boy's, you go enjoy your game and I'll have this sorted by the time you're finished'

Lucas put an arm around Caleb and led him towards his usual pool table which was reserved just for him. 'Atta boy son, that's how it's done' he said as they toasted their drinks and began to set up the balls on the table.

* * *

Gail sat with Matt in her living room, drinking a cup of herbal tea. It was beginning to get late and she should have dropped him off at Juniper by now; however, she was waiting for Caleb to finish his homework so they could spend some time together. While they were waiting, she filled her friend in with the details of the meeting she had earlier and he was as intrigued as she was with the whole situation.

'So let me get this straight, the owner of the paper crashed your meeting just so he could introduce himself as a member of this 'elite men's club' that you're now somehow a part of?' Matt asked then took a sip of his tea.

Gail shrugged, 'Yep...apparently he wanted me to be aware that they had fully embraced me and were happy to have an Emory on board again. God know's what I'm supposed to do with that, but at least I can find out who all the players are in this town'

Matt nodded, 'I suppose Lucas Buck couldn't run the whole town by himself...it makes sense that other people are involved with the goings on around here'

Gail had considered that herself; however, she was under no illusion about the nature of this club and knew Lucas controlled everything. These over privileged men liked to believe they had some power, but this was all a front to make them feel more important and she had no doubt that nothing could be done without Lucas' authority. 'I'm not so sure about that, he doesn't need other people to do his dirty work...it's more like a front to put your attention towards the left for instance, whilst something is happening to the right'

Matt leaned forward on the chair so he was closer to his friend. He had initially thought she had fallen for Lucas' charm and had forgotten what he was capable of; however, now he was starting to realise that she just might not care what the man did. 'Gail if you suspect that, why are you with him? The man has no morals, no conscience and he certainly doesn't care about anyone. I get that you were alone due to some stupid self righteous action I attempted, but I know you're not blind so why would you be with someone you know to be questionable?'

Gail stood up from her chair and walked towards the window with her drink, this was the first time they had actually had a proper conversation about her relationship with Lucas and she needed to handle her friend carefully. 'It's not for you to judge who I choose to be with Matt...Lucas' morals or lack of are none of your business. He's done no harm to me or Caleb and he's backed off tormenting you, what more do you want?'

Matt stood up and approached Gail, she was not denying what she knew and she appeared to be glossing over what he had said. 'So, it doesn't matter how harmful he is to other people as long as it's not directed at you or your family? That's not the Gail I got to know when she came to this godforsaken town'

Gail laughed, 'A lot of things have happened since then haven't they? We can't go back to how things were Matt and if you were to find me hard evidence on some unspeakable act that Lucas Buck had supposedly performed I'd publish it, but there's no facts or evidence to find...there's only speculation'

'Spoken like a true Journalist' Lucas said entering the living room with Caleb behind him.

Gail rolled her eyes, stroked Matts arm reassuringly and turned towards Lucas. 'Do I even bother asking how you got in?'

Caleb stepped in front of Lucas before he had a chance to answer. 'I saw him coming up the path as I came downstairs and let him in before he knocked' he lied.

Lucas smiled at how effortlessly his son stuck up for him without hesitation. They had finished their game within half an hour and one of his old friends had dropped them off a few houses away, when they approached the front door he had just imagined it was unlocked then it suddenly was. Locks and chains never did stop him and it appeared that his son was not fazed by his little tricks.

Gail looked from Caleb to Lucas, unimpressed at the display. She would have heard Caleb coming down the stairs and would have heard him unlocking the front door; however, this was not the time to challenge when she was trying to justify her relationship to Matt, so she would let it go for now. 'Is that so?...' she said knowingly and watched Caleb squirm under her stare, then changed the subject. '...Have you done your homework?'

'Yes ma'am, it was hard but I managed it' he said moving closer to hand her the book for inspection.

Gail glanced at the completed calculations then over to Lucas suspiciously, the sums looked difficult and she knew Caleb could not complete them correctly himself. 'It looks like you've turned into a maths whizz over night...' she said sarcastically and threw the book down on her coffee table, '...why don't you take Matt out back and see how M is doing with Rocky, I need to have a word with the Sheriff'

Caleb glanced at Lucas who just nodded, then led Matt out back. He had enjoyed spending time with Lucas and he hoped he would not get into trouble with his cousin.

Gail watched Caleb and Matt go then signalled for Lucas to follow her to her bedroom, so she could talk with him in private. When he closed and locked the door behind them she walked close to him and leaned her face towards his, then shook her head knowingly. 'I can smell to whisky on your breath Lucas and I know Caleb didn't do that work. What's going on?' she asked suspiciously.

Lucas grabbed her hips gently and pulled her body to his, now that they were completely alone his urges began to surface and he felt himself become hard as their bodies touched. 'What does it matter Darlin'? The work's done and you look like the responsible parent' he whispered then nipped at her ear.

Gail inhaled deeply, she had also noticed that they were finally alone and no-one would dare bother her when her bedroom door was closed. She felt a stir between her legs and tried to push down her yearning for him. 'It matters to me Lucas, I don't care what other people think of me if he gets it wrong providing he is doing the work himself. Besides, you know nothing about Algebra which makes me wonder who in the hell did his homework'

Lucas turned her around and pushed her against the wall roughly, he could sense her desire being pushed down and he applauded her efforts; however, he knew her now and she needed this as much as he did. He pinned her wrists high above her head with one hand and leaned into her back. 'It's one assignment Gail, get over it' he said trying to rile her up.

Gail struggled in his grasp angry at his blatant disregard for her cousins education, then leaned her head forward to rest on the wall. 'You're an asshole' she said and took a deep intake of breath when he forced his free hand under her vest and squeezed her breast tightly.

Lucas smiled at her acceptance of his actions and let his hand trail down her stomach to the top of her skirt, he pulled it down and unzipped his pants then forced himself inside her not caring whether she was ready or not. He heard her let out a painful moan at the quickness of his motion and slowly moved in and out of her, then quickened his pace when her painful moans were replaced with pleasure.

Gail bit her lip at the painful entry he made, but relaxed into his movements and welcomed the intense feeling of him being inside her. She pushed her hips back into him to force him further inside and called out with the pleasure that followed with every thrust. 'Harder' she panted and moaned loudly when he slammed himself into her.

Lucas freed her wrists so he could grab her hips and pounded into her harder, he was past worrying that he might hurt her and had come to the realisation that she got off on the pain just like he did. He bit down hard on her shoulder, due to the intense burst of pleasure with every thrust and nuzzled his face into her neck when he felt his climax rise then explode within her.

Gail's climax hit a few seconds after Lucas' and she bit her hand to stifle her yell. When he began to remove his still hard manhood from her she laughed, 'Not a chance...Again' she ordered and smiled when he pushed deep inside her, complying with her request.

Lucas bit his lip in gratification when she ordered him not to stop, he had thought she would feel bad about being with him when her family were outside; however, she did not seem to give it a second thought. He thrust in and out of her roughly, not giving her chance to rest. If she wanted him as much as he wanted her, she would have to deal with this intensity.

Gail placed her palms on the wall, then scratched her nails down it. She loved the fulfilment of him being inside her like this, he stripped away all of her frustrations and doubt and replaced them with acceptance of him and his true nature. She could sense the raw animal inside him with every thrust and welcomed whatever consequences would occur if that animal was freed.

Gail felt something come over her and slammed a fist against the wall in frustration, somehow knowing he was holding back. 'Lucas, harder!' she ordered.

Lucas shook his head and pulled out of her, then grabbed her tight and moved her towards the bed. Throwing her down roughly on her stomach, he knelt over her and pulled her up on all fours. 'You want harder? So be it' he said and thrust himself into her behind.

Gail bit her lip and closed her eyes tight at the pain of him forcing himself inside this way, she gripped her bed sheets tight and allowed him to take her in this questionable nature. She knew he prided himself on the fact that no other man had been allowed to take this part of her and she did not have the will power to deny him whatever he wanted.

Lucas stroked her back affectionately as he kept thrusting in and out of this forbidden part of her, he knew what it took for her to allow him access here and that was more pleasurable than the act itself. He reached between her legs and pushed his fingers inside her, then smiled as he heard her moan. He took her behind with his manhood and her sweet spot with his fingers, then called out her name as he felt their climax come together.

Gail rested her head on her hands and tried to catch her breath, she was sore but she did not regret anything they did together. She felt Lucas place his hands around her stomach and let him pull her up to his chest.

Lucas kissed her neck tenderly and gently pulled out of her. 'Was that hard enough for you Darlin'?' he whispered.

Gail turned her head up towards his and kissed his lips softly. 'I think that hit the spot' she said sarcastically, then pushed away from him in search of some clean clothes.

Lucas reached for her arm and pulled her back on the bed with him, then stroked his hand through her hair. 'Where do you think you're headin' in such a rush?'

Gail lay back on the bed and took a large intake of breath to slow her heart rate. 'I have to take Matt back, we're late as it is'

Lucas shook his head slowly, then rolled over onto his back and pulled her to his chest. 'You're not goin' anywhere Darlin', just relax and you can sort taking him back in the mornin'' he said, knowing she would be sore due to his actions and needed to rest. If that meant Harvard got a pass tonight then so be it.

Gail smiled and allowed herself to relax on Lucas' chest, if he wanted to insert his authority in Juniper House and let Matt stay overnight at her place who was she to argue. 'You can't stay' she said disappointingly whilst stroking his chest.

Lucas sighed and wrapped his arms around her, this separate sleeping arrangement she was making him adhere to was beginning to bother him. 'I understand you want to shield Harvard and Caleb from our relationship Darlin', but you can't continue this way forever'

Gail pulled herself up and caressed his cheek. 'Forever is a long time Sheriff, I'm only concerned about the present and right now you and Matt cannot be trusted being in the same vicinity'

Lucas pushed her off him gently and stood up, he was not used to not getting his own way. 'Have it your way Darlin', but you need to work this out in a better way or I'll remove the object of your concern' he said threateningly as he zipped up his pants, then walked out of the bedroom.

-To be continued-


	3. Chapter 3

Matt Crower stood pacing around his dark cell after waking up from yet another nightmare, it had been 3 days since he had stayed over at Gail's house and he had been plagued with sleepless nights since then. If it was not dreams of being attacked by an inmate while he lay helplessly strapped to his bed, it was dreams of his dead family. He had just begun to start feeling normal; however, now it appeared that he had taken a step back and the horrors that previously haunted him had returned.

'I don't know Doc...' Lucas said through the bars on the cell door, '...I don't think you've experienced any true horror just yet. What's wrong...are you scared of the things that go bump in the night?'

Matt shook his head, he was not in the mood for visitors right now and certainly not Lucas Buck. 'Go away' he said turning towards the small barred window in his cell.

Lucas laughed, 'Is that any way to treat the man who could arrange for your freedom?'

'Freedom? No thanks Sheriff, I'd rather rot in here than accept your help' Matt said stubbornly and continued to stare out of the window.

'And I'd rather chew off my own hand than help you Harvard; however, we both have a mutual friend who would benefit from us coming to an arrangement here. Unless you want me to discuss some sort of deal with her that is?'

Gail was always off with Lucas for the few days after she returns this man to his rightful place after his day leave and it was beginning to get in the way of their relationship. Had Lucas not had the unexpected return of Merlyn Ann, he could have handled one interference with his love; however, he could not chance them both working together in an attempt to turn her against him, especially with him not fully understanding her darkness yet.

The thought of Gail potentially making a deal with Lucas on his behalf got Matt's attention and he turned towards his nemesis. 'She'd never bargain with you, she's too smart for that'

Lucas shook his head at how oblivious his old adversary had become. 'Open your eyes Harvard, how do you think she got your precious day leave? I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed that little encounter and it well and truly sealed the deal on our relationship' he boasted.

Matt clenched his fists and closed his eyes tight in an attempt to control his anger. He had suspected Gail had done something to secure his day leave; however, she would not tell him and the thought of it bringing his friend closer to this monster was too much to handle.

'Calm down Doc, we don't want you to have an episode' Lucas said laughing, it always put him in a good mood tormenting this man.

Although Harvard had been an irritation to him, he had lasted the longest out of all the adversaries Lucas had faced. That warranted a little respect which is why he was here potentially considering terms of his release, as opposed to hanging the man with his own bed sheets. Besides, Lucas enjoyed watching the righteous fall and it would be a triumphant victory if he got Matt to want to make a deal with him.

Matt took a deep breath and tried to think, he always thought he would never make a deal with the devil and the man in front of him was as close to the devil as you could get; however, Gail had been acting strange and she was clearly tired with having to take on Caleb, the mysterious girl who now lived with them and his problems. He could see why the stress of the situation would cause her common sense to disappear and allow her to fall into the arms of the very man she once vowed to destroy. She was probably so worn out with everything else that she could not resist the temptation any longer and Matt knew he was not helping the situation.

He had told his friend that his predicament was down to his own foolish actions and he needed to own the consequences of that. Matt knew this place was beginning to wear him down and he needed to get out, maybe hearing what Lucas had to offer would not be so bad.

'It wouldn't be so bad at all...' Lucas said reading his mind, '...you shouldn't have to worry about everybody else all the time Doc, think of yourself for a change. We could do this in a way that no one would ever know, that way you get to keep your dignity'

Due to the continuous broken sleep of the past few days Matt was tired and felt himself being pulled towards Lucas' influence. Lucas sensed Matt's resolve beginning to falter and he felt the familiar pride that always came once he broke someone down, then brought them to his level.

Having the righteous Matt Crower under his thumb would be almost as much of a victory as it had been when Gail first gave herself over to him. She had also believed she was too good to stoop down to his level; however, when she had finally been unable to resist his advances any longer, he took her in the dirt of his own territory. She had still tried to deny him until the unexpected actions of his old flame Angela pushed the man before him over the edge, the whole situation could not have worked out better if he would've orchestrated it all himself.

Matt felt his dignity slipping away and shook his head at what he was about to do. 'OK Lucas, you wi...'

'Now, now Mr Crower...I don't think you should be having visitors this early in the morning' interrupted the voice of a female orderly and Matt watched as she pushed passed Lucas and opened the door. 'Seen as you're up and out of bed, let's take you for a walk' the orderly said sweetly.

Lucas glared at the woman who had barged past him and entered the room as though he was not present. 'Excuse me Miss, what do you think your doin'?' he asked irritably.

The orderly flicked her long brown hair over her shoulder confidently, then turned towards Lucas and gave him a devilish grin. Lucas spotted a slight glint in her eyes and stared at her fascinated, he could not be 100% sure; however, there was something in the attractive young woman's eyes which reminded him of Gail. When she turned away from him to regard Matt, he reached for her arm and his suspicions were confirmed when the familiar growls of Gideon came from behind him.

'Be careful sir, it appears someone doesn't approve of the actions you're about to take' the orderly said sweetly and linked her arm around Matt to lead him out of the cell.

Lucas shook his head slowly then shot Gideon a challenging glance, the dog stared defiantly back at him and went to the young woman's side. 'If I was you I'd be careful around wild animals Miss, they have a tendency to bite when they feel cornered'

The woman smiled at Matt sweetly, then her smile faded when she turned towards Lucas and she regarded his seriously. 'Yes they do...you should be careful of wild things that you don't fully understand, they may do more than just bite' she said and led Matt down the corridor away from Lucas.

* * *

Gail woke up suddenly in her bed covered in sweat, she inhaled deeply trying to get some air into her lungs and ran her hand through her damp hair. She had been having a strange dream about being in Juniper House with Matt; however, she did not feel like herself and it was as though she worked there. She did not remember much of the dream, but she recalled Gideon being in it and having an urgency to get Matt out of his cell.

A soft knock came at her bedroom door and it was opened slightly. 'Gail?' Merlyn called quietly.

Gail sighed, 'What?' she asked abruptly.

Merlyn peered around the door and spotted her cousin sat upright in bed covered in sweat. 'Sorry to bother you, I heard you talkin' to yourself when I was on my way to the kitchen and wanted to check that you were alright'

Gail shook her head and pushed her bed sheets down, she did not mean to snap at M she was just frustrated with her strange dreams of late. 'I'm fine...' she said getting out of bed and stretching, '...I must've been talking in my sleep'

Merlyn could not help but stare at her cousin in her vest and shorts, admiring her toned legs and full breasts. Gail caught her staring and gave her a questioning look, 'Is there a problem?' she asked.

Merlyn had never lived with a woman before and was finding it hard not to stare when her cousin let her figure show. She looked down at her hands and the long faded T Shirt she was wearing herself, she could never envision herself as anything other than average. 'There's no problem and I don't mean to stare, I was just thinkin' how pretty you look compared to me' she said nervously.

Gail looked down at her short pyjamas and smiled. 'Behave, I'm nothing special I just dress it up well' she said and walked towards her wardrobe to find something suitable to wear for the day ahead. She did not think of herself as attractive, she was who she was and believed every woman was beautiful in their own way. 'There's nothing wrong how you look you know?'

Merlyn laughed, 'I look like a boy with long brown hair and all I usually wear are T Shirts, jeans and sneakers'

Gail picked out a short mocha dress that she could wear with a pair of boots and some tights, she was considering visiting Lucas later and liked to dress well for the occasion. She threw the dress on her bed and continued scanning through her wardrobe. 'Firstly, you don't look like a boy and there's nothing wrong with jeans...secondly, if you're tired of what you're wearing then do something about it' she said pulling out a short maroon dress and a short sleeved cream cardigan.

Merlyn walked a little further into the room, she was happy for any advice as she was still struggling to come to terms with being alive and not being caged up in a house like she used to be with her father. 'I wouldn't know where to even begin doing anything about how I feel'

Gail turned towards her and sighed, 'Well you can start by getting a shower upstairs and putting this on' she said handing her the hanger with the red dress and cardigan. 'After that we'll drop Caleb off at Boone's house and go shopping, I'll have to stop in at work while we're in town though'

Merlyn smiled, she had never been clothes shopping before. 'But I don't have any money'

Gail laughed and walked out of the bedroom towards the kitchen, with Merlyn following close behind. 'Believe me, I have more than enough for us both. Haven't you heard...I'm ridiculously overpaid' she whispered jokingly.

Merlyn laughed, it was not often she got to experience the playful side of her cousin. When she used to watch over Caleb she had seen Gail being silly with him on virtually ever occasion that they were together; however, she was always surveying them from afar. It would be nice to be able to experience the carefree side of her cousin. 'OK, thank you...I did a pot of coffee for you in case you wanted some' she said then headed upstairs to shower.

'Girl after my own heart' Gail called after her and gave Rocky an affectionate cuddle before she headed towards the downstairs shower.

* * *

Lucas sat in his office staring at the reports in front of him, he could not concentrate on the menial tasks he was required to do when his mind was plagued with thoughts of Gail's darkness. He prided himself on knowing everything that was going on in his town; however, he could not figure out how she had brought Merlyn back and it appeared from the display this morning that she was toying with him.

Lucas was beginning to get obsessed with her, the last time he felt anything close to what he was feeling right now was for Judith Temple and that did not end well. He could not deny that he had been drawn to that family line all his life and it was a shame Judith wound up entangled with it all; however, he was beginning to believe Gail was the one he had been looking for all along.

'Don't got getting all soppy on me now Sheriff...' Gail said leaning against the door to his office, subconsciously reading his mind. '...I would've thought the big bad Lucas Buck would run from any sign of devotion'

Lucas smiled, he was fascinated with how she managed to use his own stealthy gift against him. 'No mushiness here Miss Emory, just the truth' he said placing his pen on the desk and started to get up.

Gail held her hand up to signal for him to remain in his seated position and walked towards him. 'I don't need your truth' she said when she reached him, then spun his chair slightly to make him face her and knelt down between his legs.

Lucas looked at her curiously and moved a strand of hair from her face. 'What is it that you need Darlin'? I'll give you whatever you want, all you gotta do is ask' he said seductively.

'Oh but I don't want you to give me anything' she said running her hands up his legs slowly.

'Is that so?' he asked, his manhood hardened the second that her hands touched him.

'Mmm...' she nodded and moved closer in-between his legs, 'It's what I want to do for you' she said then unzipped his pants, gently freed his manhood and placed him in her mouth.

Lucas inhaled deeply at the unexpected action and she began to suck him slowly. She removed him from her mouth, ran her tongue from the bottom of his manhood to the tip and then licked his tip playfully. 'Well this certainly is a surprise Darlin', what's gotten you into this mood?' he panted.

Gail smiled and looked up at him enticingly, 'I need a reason to want you in my mouth now?' she asked and moved a hand lower to play gently with his balls.

Lucas smiled, 'If that's what the lady wants who am I to say no?' he said and bit his lip to stifle his moan when she placed him in her mouth again, then began to suck.

Gail loved the taste of him in her mouth and the pleasure this action gave him. It provided her with great satisfaction knowing that she was in control and could withdraw the pleasure whenever she wanted. Right now she would be good and just savour him in her mouth, there would plenty of time later for games.

Lucas ran his hand through her hair and pulled at it gently, the intense sensation this simple act provided him with was astonishing and he just lay back watching her pleasure him. She began to suck harder and he could not prevent his moans from becoming louder. He felt her smile with him still in her mouth and his climax hit intensely when she took him in as far as she could.

Gail released him, swallowed his fluid and wiped the remnants of him off her mouth. Lucas bit his lip at how sexy she looked when she was not even trying and pulled her face to his for a passionate kiss.

'My turn' he said kneeling down to her and reaching for the bottom of her dress; however, he froze when he heard a knock on his door.

'Saved by the bell' Gail whispered in his hear playfully and stood up. 'Give me a minute M' she called at the door and watched as Lucas got up.

'You're tellin' me you came here to selflessly pleasure me and you're expecting me not to retaliate? Do you not know me at all Miss Emory?' he asked grabbing her hips and pulling her to him.

Gail placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed away. 'I know you well enough Sheriff and I'm expecting a full on retaliation later on, but not right now'

Lucas shook his head, most men would be feel priveleaged if their other half pulled a stunt like this; however, he enjoyed giving pleasure just as much as receiving it and he was not impressed. 'As that young girl is waiting for you I'll respect your boundaries, but all bets are off tonight'

Gail walked towards the door, opened it and glanced back at him over her shoulder. 'I'm counting on that Sheriff' she said, then closed the door as she left.

* * *

Ben sat on the bonnet of his patrol car with Billy, drinking a cup of coffee. He had not spent as much time with his friends as he would have liked. due to being focused on his relationship with Rita; however, as she was used to him putting her above his friends, he could not figure out a way to tell her that he wanted to start going out for drinks with them again.

'So let me get this straight...' Billy said taking a sip of his coffee, 'You don't want to offend her, but you want to restart our late night drinking sessions?'

'When you say it like that it sounds offensive...' Ben sighed, '...I like spending time with Rita and I'm damn lucky to have her, but I feel like I need some space'

'Well I wouldn't open with that Benji...' Lucas said coming from behind the pair, '...women can be fragile. You wanna make it sound like it's something she needs, not what you need'

Billy shook his head, 'Since when did you become such an expert on relationships?'

Lucas shrugged, 'Since I bagged Gail Emory who initially hated me and have managed to keep her. Do you see me having to ask permission for things?'

Billy laughed, 'I don't see Gail having to ask permission to do anything either...in fact, she's never stopped coming out for drinks with me so it's safe to assume who wears the pants in your relationship Buck'

Lucas moved closer to Billy and smiled devilishly. 'With the things that woman lets me do to her, she can wear whatever pants she wants Billy-boy'

Ben stood up from his seated position, he could see the challenging look that come over Billy's face and did not want both of them causing a scene due to his problems. 'Now come on fella's, let's not do this'

Lucas stepped away from Billy, 'He's right Doc...it's Saturday and our shift if almost over, what do say we skip out early and continue to discuss Ben's troubles over a beer?'

Billy watched Lucas suspiciously, one minute the man was tormenting him and the next he wanted to go for a drink. The man was a mystery and Billy knew he should be careful; however, he had enjoyed the time he spent with him at the Pool Hall the last time and it was not in Billy's nature to turn down a drink. 'I can manage a drink, it's my day off after all'

'Atta-boy Doc...between us I'm sure we'll straighten my Deputy out in no time' Lucas said and patted Ben on the back.

* * *

Gail sat with M, Selena and Rita outside a Coffee Shop on main street. They had came across Selena in a Lingerie Store and they had stumbled across Rita while they were on their way to her car to unload all the bags of clothes they had bought. Rita appeared to be bewildered with something; therefore, Gail agreed to get something to drink with her so she could talk it out.

'So let me get straight...you're complaining that Ben wants to spend too much time together? I'm failing to see how that's a bad thing' Selena said taking a sip of her latte.

'Ben's lovely' Merlyn said nervously, then ate the marshmallow that was in her hot chocolate.

Rita sighed and started to play with her hands. 'I know he's lovely and I know I sound crazy. We've been together for a few months and it's all goin' great, but we're always together when we're not in work' she said, emphasising on the word always.

Merlyn regarded Rita curiously, Ben was one of the kindest people she had ever met and she would happily spent all day with him if she could. 'What's wrong with that?' she asked, oblivious to the fact that she was butting into an adult conversation.

'I think we need to work on your manners...' Gail said and took a sip of her green tea, '...What's wrong with that is if you just work then go home to someone who is with you all the time, you don't have any time to breathe. I couldn't think of anything worse'

Merlyn thought about this for a moment then shrugged, 'I still don't get it'

Gail sighed, she had somehow taken on mothering a teenage girl as well as a young boy, so she knew exactly what Rita was getting at. 'OK, it's like being under water...the feeling of the water on your skin is nice for a while; however, if you go too deep and stay under for too long, the pressure of the water becomes too intense and you start to suffocate'

'Exactly!' Rita said, thankful that someone could understand where she was coming from.

'But you work and you also have Caleb, Matt, Rocky and me that you're taking care of' Merlyn said thinking out loud.

'Yes I do' Gail agreed and took another sip of her drink, waiting for the penny to drop.

Merlyn was hit with a sudden wave of clarity, 'So you can't breathe?'

Gail smiled, it was obvious that the amount of dependants she had recently taken on could cause her to suffocate and it was getting to a stage where her instincts were telling her to flee; however, she would manage it all and was trying to think of it as a challenge. 'I breathe just fine as I have ways and means to work off my daily pressures...'

'Namely Lucas Buck' Selena interjected cattily and continued drinking her latte, this tedious conversation was beginning to bore her.

'Anyway...' Gail said shooting Selena a warning glance and turned her attention back to Rita, '...so you should've set the boundaries of the relationship early on and now you're stuck in a place where whatever you say could cause offence...'

'How did you set the boundaries with the Sheriff?' Merlyn interrupted curiously. She had not been confident enough to broach the subject of him with her cousin previously, but Selena had provided an opening.

Rita also jumped on this line of questioning, it was not often she was able to find personal things out about Gail and her friend could not be angry at her as she was not the one who brought the subject up. 'I always thought it would be hard to negotiate with Lucas Buck, but everything appears to be fine with you two...how did you manage that?'

Gail ran her hand through her hair, looked up at the sky and sighed. Why the conversation had turned towards her relationship was beyond her comprehension; however, it appeared all her present company had jumped on the band wagon. 'My association with Lucas Buck is no-ones business but ours' she said abruptly.

Selena feigned a concerned look, 'Oh but look at this poor woman at her wits end. The secret to your perfect relationship would surely assist her out of her quandary'

Gail bit her lip and shook her head in exasperation. She felt backed into a corner and she never played well when she felt trapped, she could sense the presence within her slowly rising to her defence; however, she took a deep breath and pushed it back down. 'Fine, I don't regard my so called 'perfect relationship' as a relationship...' she sighed, '...The minute you label something, you lose control. Both of your problems are that you feel the need to seek comfort in men, it's drilled into women that you can't be alone as you need a man for companionship. The issue with that is you can get trapped and then there's no way out'

Selena laughed, she had witnessed the desire in Gail's eyes when she was around Lucas and did not understand why she was talking as though she was not also trapped. 'So you don't have needs or desires Gail? I don't believe that for a second'

Merlyn spotted a strange glint in her cousins eye and chose to sit back and survey how this conversation was going to play out. She was beginning to understand what Gail had previously meant about vindictiveness and jealousy within women, even when they appeared to be friends.

Gail smiled maliciously and took a another sip of her drink. 'My needs are not as pathetic as the usual fear of being alone that most woman have Selena, I've been alone all my life and prefer it. I don't need a man to make me feel whole or comforted, what I require from Lucas Buck taps into a whole different level of desire and he can't help himself from coming back for more...I would've thought that was obvious with how quick he discarded you when I returned his advances'

Selena shook her head and smiled, this was the Gail she wanted and not the boring one who pretended she cared for the tedious everyday problems of the pretty little nurse before them. Selena did not know how to be friends with a woman, it all seemed so false and she did not understand why people hid their true thoughts of one another. The strange friendship she had with Gail was refreshing and they were always honest with each other, not like how she was with Rita. 'What I had with your current partner was good and lasted longer than you can imagine. When he's bored with your little innocent mundane act, he'll come running back to me...it's inevitable' she said confidently.

Gail leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, disregarding Merlyn and Rita who chose to remain silent. She felt the presence inside screaming at her to react viciously, but she did not require help putting Selena in her place. 'Innocent and mundane? You don't even know the half of it, if you did you'd get out of this dream world you're living in and realise he's done with you...' she said malicioulsy, '...When was the last time he actually showed you any attention? If I remember correctly it was when I found out that I was pregnant and disregarded him...see that's what it's gonna take for him to settle for you Selena, me rejecting him and at this moment in time it's amusing me too much having something that you can't have so I'm gonna keep him for now'

Selena inhaled deeply in an attempt to control her anger, she was happy with Billy; however, if Lucas ever did visit her with a proposition she knew she would always agree. The thought of Gail's smugness over having what was hers infuriated her, but she still enjoyed the time they spent with this woman and the comments made would not change that. 'One day you'll have to elaborate on the non innocent or mundane things you get up to' she said suggestively.

Gail felt herself relax and leaned back in her chair, 'Maybe one day I will'

Rita let out a relieved sigh, she did not know why these two woman chose to get together when they clearly had issues with one another; however, she was happy that it had calmed down. 'So, what am I doin' about my problem?'

Gail considered for a moment, then got up from the table and signalled for her boarder to follow her. 'You're gonna go home, get changed into something comfortable and meet up with me and Selena in a few hours.

Selena smiled devilishly and she was not even concerned about what Billy would think. 'Jimmy's bar?' she asked.

Gail shook her head as she searched for her car keys in her bag. She had received a text from Billy earlier informing her that her lover had decided they were going out for drinks, so she thought it would be best to steer cleart. 'Nah, let's leave the boy's to their usual haunt. We'll meet up at my place, I've got an idea for a quiet place we can head out too later on...Now come on M, I think we've neglected our youngest long enough' she said and headed to her car to pick up Caleb.

-To be continued-


	4. Chapter 4

Caleb stood by the kitchen window watching the woman in the backyard. He had not been impressed that he had been discarded at Boone's House earlier that day by Gail and Merlyn while they went shopping and now he found out he was banished indoors while Gail entertained Miss Coombs and Nurse Rita, it just did not seem right.

Merlyn wandered into the kitchen, picked up an apple and bit into it. 'This isn't so bad Caleb...' she said as she chewed, '...I don't get why you're sulkin''

Caleb turned towards his sister and regarded her angrily. 'You and Gail were gone for hours and now she's out there with her friends, I feel left out Merly'

'Don't be that way, Gail does a lot for you and deserves time to herself'

Caleb turned away from the window and went to the make himself a glass of juice. 'I didn't ask her to do so much for me, that was her choice. When I moved in here I thought it was just gonna be me, Gail and Rocky...she ain't got no time for me anymore' he said deflated.

Merlyn rolled her eyes, her brother could be so dramatic at times. 'Come on Caleb, she's got all the time in the world for you but she has more responsibilities other than just you now. She has Matt, her job, Rocky and everyone else that seems to want to dump their issues on her. We're just givin' her a night to unwind, that's all'

Caleb shrugged, 'Lucas wouldn't ignore me like this' he said brazenly.

'Then go to him if that's what you believe' Gail said as she walked into the kitchen, she had come in to check on the children to ensure they were alright and was not happy with the words she had witnessed from her cousin.

Caleb stared at Gail defiantly, he had not liked his cousin paying more attention to Merlyn than him and he wanted to make her feel bad. 'Maybe I will' he retorted in a sulk.

Gail smiled knowingly, 'Well maybe you should...or you could just stop being a baby and tell me what you want from me'

Merlyn glanced from Caleb to Gail, they were both stubborn and the best thing to do would be to let them talk it out.

Caleb looked at his sister for support, then huffed and crossed his arms when he was clearly going to get none. 'You're never here' he spat out.

'I'm always here Caleb, I'm hardly anywhere but here' Gail said calmly.

Caleb could feel himself getting angry and he was finding it hard to portray his feelings. 'OK, you're never just here with me...you've always got somethin' that you're doin' or someone that you're lookin' after. We never do anythin' anymore, you're too busy with everyone else ' he said raising his voice.

Gail took a deep breath, she did not know where this mood had come from; however, if this was the start of the tantrums Billy had warned her about, she would stand no chance reasoning with him. 'Caleb I have to work so we can live here and I have to look after Matt so he doesn't go stir crazy. What do you want me to do? I can't make more time for you when I have none to spare'

'You have no problem making time for Lucas' he said snidely and instantly regretted the comment when he saw the wounded look on his cousins face.

Gail took a step back and shook her head at the blow he just dealt her. She had chosen not to discuss their relationship with Caleb and had hoped that he had not noticed, she knew that was stupid of her; however, she had tried to be discreet and shield him as long as she could from the implications of them being together. The presence within her was screaming for her to scold him for the offhand comment, but she was not convinced that was the best way to handle this situation so she chose to just remain cool. 'What do you think you know about me and Lucas?' she asked.

Caleb had started this so he might as well finish it. 'I know you're together and he likes you, I also know that you two sneak away together sometimes'

Gail was mortified, she had been careful not to be spotted when they met up and she was baffled as to how her cousin knew so much. 'Where have you been getting this information from?' she asked curiously.

Caleb shrugged, 'Lucas...he doesn't lie to me'

'Is that so? Clearly you're not as clever as I thought...' she said laughing to hide her anger. She had told Lucas to keep quiet about their relationship, clearly he had taken it upon himself to reveal everything. '...If you wanna be with Lucas I won't stop you Caleb, but you will mind your own business when it comes to me. Do you understand?' she asked sternly.

Caleb looked at Merlyn who was clearly trying to keep a low profile, then back at his cousin. 'Fine' he said standing his ground.

'Fine' Gail said angrily and walked out of the kitchen to return to Rita and Selena.

Merlyn let out a sigh of relief when Gail left. 'Caleb, what was that about? There was no need to get defensive with her'

Caleb shook his head, Merlyn just did not get it. He was used to it being just Gail and him, now there was everyone else and he had to share the family that he had grown accustomed to. 'Keep out of it Merly' he said and stormed out of the kitchen.

* * *

Lucas stood to the side of Ben in Jimmy's Bar, watching as he lined up his dart to take a shot. His Deputy had called his spouse earlier to inform her Lucas had insisted on him staying out tonight and Ben seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Lucas had wagered a day off for his Deputy if he made this shot and Billy had not long returned with a tray full of shots for them to down should Ben be successful.

It was not often Lucas got to let his hair down and he was beginning to enjoy hanging out with the boys, even if one of them was Billy Peele. When Lucas reached the age of 17 he was usually too busy with the woman in his life to make time for some good old fashioned drinking fun with the boys, he was beginning to realise what he had been missing. 'Come on Benji, all you gotta do is hit the board right smack in the middle'

'There's no way he's making that shot' Billy goaded.

Ben concentrated all focus on the tiny circle in the middle of the dart board, this was supposed to be a friendly game; however, he was starting to feel the pressure of both men's eyes on him, while they waited to see whether he could make the shot.

Lucas watched as Ben focused, it was good to see his friend trying to come out on top rather than just settling for a lower position so he decided to give him a helping hand. When Ben released the dart, Lucas focused his twin on it and watched as he guided it to the bullseye. Lucas smiled when Ben jumped up and down at the surprise of actually hitting the target. 'Atta boy Benji...it looks like you get a lie in on Monday'

'Seriously? Aww man I can't believe it' Ben said laughing and passed Lucas one of the many drinks Billy had brought back from the bar.

'I'm a man of my word Ben...now drink' he said and raised his glass for them all to toast.

Billy downed his Jagermeister without hesitation then reached for a Bourbon. 'So, what's prompted this unexpected gathering Sheriff?' he asked curiously, wondering whether the man was in trouble with Gail.

'Strike that thought from your mind Billy-boy...I just felt like a drink and if you two are good enough for my love then you're good enough for me' he said downing the glass of Jagermeister.

Billy laughed, 'Love? I doubt you know the meaning of the word'

Lucas smiled, the man was brave he would give him that. 'Oh I know the meaning of it Billy-boy, I'm just not a slave to the coveted emotion like most people are and neither is my other half. Besides, I hate to piss on your parade but the woman you're with doesn't know the difference between love and intimacy...she would do anything or anyone not to be alone, so I'd hold off on your judgements of other people's relationships'

Ben stepped in between both of them to ensure this conversation would not turn heated, this was the first time he had been allowed out in months and he was going to enjoy it. 'No women talk fella's, let's get on to the next drink'

Lucas watched curiously as the look on Billy's face turned from anger to acceptance, it appeared he put friendship above his relationship with Selena which would not help with her jealous nature. Lucas had never seen the point in friendships, from what he had witnessed throughout the years they were usually just a burden. He only had two people he could potentially call very close friends and the rest he classed as acquaintances. There was Abe, who knew a lot of his dirty little secrets and did not care what he did unless it directly involved him or someone he cared about, then there was Ben.

Lucas had known Ben since he had been in High School, Ben had been 3 years below him and their paths had crossed when he nearly caught Lucas having sexual relations with Angie, the head Cheerleader, in the Principal's office. Ben had been sent to visit with the Principal after school, due to disturbing the class and he had covered for Lucas when they were all caught in his office. Ever since that day, Lucas had a soft spot for Ben who had continued to keep his secrets closely guarded. 'You're right Benji, our ball and chains have no place here' he said picking up a shot glass.

Billy nodded, he had started on the man first so he could not be angry at him for retaliating. 'To hell with the woman, this is about us and some freedom' he said raising his glass for a toast.

Lucas smiled at the men in front of him, this was clearly going to be a long night.

* * *

Gail sat on Lucas's porch with Rita and Selena, sharing another bottle of wine. After the strange confrontation with Caleb, she had wanted to get out of there and as Rita had been quizzing her about her relationship with Lucas Buck to Selena's annoyance, Gail had decided Lucas's place was perfect for their change of venue.

Rita had been in awe for about 20 minutes at the sheer vastness of the property, she had seen this place from afar but never up close. The woman's reaction amused Gail and Selena, both of them were used to this place and had just settled on the porch while Rita kept surveying the grounds. When Rita had settled, Gail had let herself in and brought them out two bottles of wine and a radio, suspecting from Billy's constant drunken texts that the men would be out for some time.

As the woman had already finished the first bottle of wine and were well into the second, they were very drunk themselves and Rita was dancing around the porch as she clearly was not used to this level of drinking. Gail got up from the seated position and decided to do a lap of the garden in an attempt to sober herself up a little, she had been feeling a strange sensation ever since she entered the garden and the wine had not made the feeling go away like she had hoped.

Gail heard a low growl and turned towards Gideon, who was watching her from behind a tree. 'Who do you think you're growling at' she said playfully as she walked over to him and bent down to give him a stroke.

Gideon allowed himself to be stroked and licked Gail's hand in a sign of obedience, then ran off to the back of the house. Gail sighed and followed her mysterious guardian, wanting to know what had caught his attention. She got an eerie feeling as she crossed over to the back of the property and headed for the large fountain, where Gideon was currently sniffing.

Gail ran her fingers over the stone and pulled off some ivy which covered parts of the fountain, this architecture could look amazing with the proper care and she could not believe Lucas had let it get in this neglected state. She continued to walk around the fountain pulling off random strands of ivy as she went, until she felt a sudden urge to stop and bent down to inspect something that caught her eye.

As Gail brushed off some dirt, she noticed carvings in the stone. 'Now what's this?...' she asked aloud to Gideon who was sniffing around that section, '..RB, could be initials I suppose. Do you know any RB boy?' she asked stroking Gideon, then gave herself a mental shake to remind her that he was just a dog.

Gail stood up straight and surveyed the remainder of the property curiously, the last time she was here she had been distracted by Lucas' unabating sexual appetite. She was not complaining; however, she was happy that she was free to roam this part of his property unrestricted as she had been feeling drawn towards it.

Something whispered to Gail and the presence within her instantly tried to take control but Gail focused all her energy on keeping it caged. 'Not a chance' she said to herself and began to walk deeper into the garden towards the sound of the whispers. Gideon walked in front of her growling as he went along; however, Gail disregarded this obvious sign of warning and continued on to the far side of the garden.

The closer she got to the woods at the back of the garden, the more the presence within her fought to be freed. Although Gail had accepted that there was something inside of her that was different, she was not ready to trust it's judgement yet and so she continued on letting her curiosity get the better of her. Lucas had made her promise not to explore this part of his property without him which had only peaked her curiosity further, she had promised him like a good girl would and technically she was just following Gideon who was still walking in front of her growling protectively.

A cold breeze brushed over Gail making the hairs on her bare arms stand up, it felt as though fingers were running up her arm and it made her shiver. Something caught her eye in the long grass and the wind picked up, it suddenly felt hard for her to breathe. Gail took a deep breathe and ignored the feeling of something pushing down on her lungs, then walked towards a large tree at the farthest part of the garden.

When she reached the tree she bent down to inspect the object in the grass and was disconcerted when she realised it was a grave stone, she started pulling up the grass that was covering the small monument with her bare hands and glanced at Gideon when she noticed he appeared to be backing away from the area. Gail felt a shadow of doubt growing within her and considered retreating to the populated front part of the property; however, the whispers returned and they were much louder this time.

'Coward...weakling...craven...' came from all around her which prompted Gail to stand up defiantly. She surveyed her surroundings and she was still alone; however, the whispers continued, 'Deviant...idiosyncratic...twisted...'

Gail took a step back, she did not understand what was happening but the whispers seemed to circle all around her and her mind was screaming at her to run. Gail suddenly experienced a strong feeling of being watched, she was not alone here and Gideon came to her side obediently and bared his teeth to someone or something behind her. She wanted to turn around; however, for the first time in her life she was truly terrified at what she might uncover.

Gideon backed up so his body was rested on her leg and began to growl loudly, Gail felt her hair slowly being moved to her right shoulder by a hand and someones breath was suddenly on her neck. Although this was Lucas's usual move when he decided he wanted to make her to unravel, she knew his touch by now and his hands were always warm. The cold fingers stroking the nape of her neck in addition to the sharp bark Gideon did indicated that this was not her lover and she froze on the spot, closing her eyes at the trembling feeling that came over her.

Gideon went to pounce when the figure moved it's head closer to Gail, but something came over the dog and it retreated slightly moaning. The figure ran it's hand down Gail's back then stroked her hips gently. 'You came back' it whispered.

Gail inhaled deeply and felt her resolve melting away as something came over her. She leaned her head to the side and felt cold lips brush against the side of her neck, she was terrified and was powerless to stop whatever was happening. Gail felt the figure smile as it ran it's lips over her shoulder and pulled down her vest and bra strap, she closed her eyes tight and finally pleaded with the presence inside her to help, then felt a jolt of strength surge through her.

The darkness in Gail rushed to the surface and burst through, gaining Gail's acceptance to take full control. Feeling the coldness of the apparition that was touching her, she stepped out of it's grasp and went behind the stone monument under the large tree. 'This is not your time' she said sternly and Gideon raced to stand beside her.

The figure took a cautious step back, 'Oh but it could be...just come a little closer and I can save her from a lifetime of pain and misery'

The darkness laughed unnaturally, 'That would be too easy. We're having too much fun with him...I don't think we're ready to give that up just yet'

'You can't stop me and you won't go to him for help. You're no different than I am and you can't stay on that sacred ground forever' the figure hissed.

Gideon began to bark viciously at the figure, the darkness smiled wickedly at her companion and authorised him to do her bidding. 'I may not be strong enough yet but I can assure you we are very different and I don't need the help of a mortal to stop you' she said then watched as Gideon jumped on the figure and started to rip the flesh from it's body.

The apparition screamed then disappeared, making Gideon fall to the floor roughly. The darkness shook her head at the display and spoke out loud. 'I know you're a proud woman, as I've been a part of you for longer than you know, but next time heed my warnings when you're trespassing in places you don't belong' it said then allowed Gail to take control of herself.

Gail took a deep intake of breath, she felt as though her lungs were starving of air. She looked towards Gideon who appeared to be injured on the ground and ran to the dog to comfort it. She had no idea what had just happened, something came over her and she felt as though she had been locked away in a dark room in a state of oblivion.

She looked around the garden and noticed the figure that had initially been there was nowhere to be found. Gail had a peculiar feeling and decided it was time for her and Gideon to rejoin the party. Before she left, she shot one last glance towards the stone monument under the large tree and saw the name Rosemary carved into it. She suddenly felt drained and decided to file the name away in her mind to be pondered over at another time.

* * *

Lucas entered his home at approximately 2:00am, with a strong odour of alcohol all over him. He could not remember the last time he let himself get so drunk with men and had to excuse himself after he had projected visions into Danny Barkers mind just for his own amusement, of his best friend Jake having sexual relations with his wife.

A big fight ensued after that, which resulted in Ben and Billy trying to stop both men from seriously hurting each other. Lucas had not shown Danny anything untrue and had absolutely no remorse for the consequences this may have on the mans marriage; however, he had the urge to call it a night before he did something more fatal just for fun.

When he entered his domain and threw his keys down, he felt a surge of electricity flow through him. As he only ever experienced this feeling with one person he searched his home without success, then opened the side door to his garden to find Gail half asleep on his porch swing instinctively stroking Gideon who had his head rested on her thigh.

Lucas quietly entered the porch then glanced around suspiciously at the wine bottles and glasses on his porch table. 'Looks like I missed the party' he said alerting Gail to his presence.

Gail did not have the energy to get up from her comfortable position and just kept stroking Gideon. 'You didn't miss much...' she lied, '...How was your night out with the boys?'

'Surprisingly fun' he said kneeling down in front of her and pulling Gideon gently off her.

Gail laughed tiredly, 'Look at you making friends'

Lucas stroked her thighs seductively, then reached the top of her leggings and pulled them down. He smiled when she obediently lifted herself up to allow him to remove her pants and started nipping at the inside of her thighs. 'I do believe I have a favour to repay' he said putting his fingers in her thong and ripping it off.

Gail inhaled deeply as his fingers brushed between her legs. 'And if I was to say I'm not in the mood?' she asked, still pondering over what had happened earlier.

Lucas laughed then looked up at her mischievously. 'I'd say non intelligunt anglicus' he said then licked her sweet spot playfully.

Gail sat up slightly and moaned softly. 'You speak Latin?' she asked shocked.

Lucas stopped playing and knelt up so his face was close to hers. 'You're not the only one with an education Miss Emory' he said stroking her lips with his thumb, there was something off about her which he could not pin point but he was still slightly drunk and there was only one thing on his mind right now.

'You certainly are a mystery aren't you Sheriff?' she said nipping at his thumb playfully, she liked it when he surprised her.

Lucas felt his manhood harden as she bit his thumb, then took it provocatively in her mouth and sucked it. 'And you're a bad girl aren't you Miss Emory?' he asked, then bent down and pushed her legs apart whilst staring deep into her eyes.

Gail held his suggestive stare as she felt the familiar tingling between her legs, all that had happened earlier was forgotten as her desire for him flooded to the surface. She bit her lip in anticipation and moaned softly when began playing with her using his tongue.

Lucas licked her sweet spot gently then began to nip and suck it more forcefully, when he heard her aroused moans he pushed his tongue inside and relished in the pleasant taste of her. He moved his hands over her stomach then grabbed her hips, she opened her legs wider in acceptance of the act and he began to make patterns with his tongue inside of her.

Gail felt herself start to unravel as his movements became more intense, he had switched from gently making patterns inside her to roughly nipping and licking her. She moaned loudly to indicate she was close, then called out his name as her intense climax hit.

Lucas gave her sweet spot a final lick when he had gotten his desired reaction then knelt up to her and kissed her passionately, not wiping away her wetness from his lips. Gail pulled away the embrace and licked the moisture off his lips lustfully, she gently pushed him to a seated position on the floor and knelt down to unzip his pants.

Lucas pulled his pants off and allowed her to free his manhood. 'Not in the mood huh?' he asked playfully.

Gail shrugged, pulled off her vest and straddled him. 'Sprichst du Englisch' she said sweetly and placed him inside of her.

Lucas inhaled deeply with the intense gratification of being inside her, he had wanted this since she had surprised him in his office earlier and she did not disappoint. 'German? Now who's showing off' he said as he ran his hands over her hips then her behind.

'I don't need to show off Sheriff...' she panted playfully as she rode him slowly, '...it's just my skills shining though'

Lucas pushed his hips up to force himself further inside her, 'This is all the skill you need Darlin'' he said and let out a loud moan at the intense pleasure he was feeling.

Gail continued to move slow, then felt a surge of energy flow through her and began to move faster. Lucas gripped her behind tight and supported her as she rode him hard and fast. They had both had a tiring day; however, neither of them would let that impact this act and they both required each other this way. As their climax began to rise Lucas clawed at Gail's back with his fingers and she dug her nails into his shoulders. They both called out as they came together and their bodies collapsed on the ground.

Lucas stroked the back of Gail's head softly, as she lay on chest. 'Well that was the perfect ending to a good day...how long have we got until you have to head back to the children?' he asked, always disappointed when she had to leave.

Gail exhaled deeply and ran her hand gently over Lucas's chest. 'I'm in no rush to leave, Caleb needs some time to himself and M is with him so I'll just head back in the morning'

Lucas smiled and rolled her over, ignoring Gideon who was trying to edge closer to his master. 'Well seen as I've got you until morning, lets head inside and continue this in bed' he said kissing the tip of her nose softly.

Gail sighed, 'I don't know how much energy you expect me to have at this ungodly hour Sheriff but why not' she said smiling and allowed Lucas to help her up.

-To be continued-


	5. Chapter 5

Caleb lay sulking on his bed listening to the Johnny Cash CD Gail had gotten him, he was not ready to face his cousin as she had stayed out all night and had only returned 30 minutes ago. He had remained in his bedroom since Merlyn had tried to take her side and he did not want to talk to either of them right now, so he continued to hum along to the soothing music.

Caleb knew he should be happy that Gail was allowing Merlyn to stay with them now that she had mysteriously become whole, as his sister did not appear to be reverting back to her ghostly state any time soon; however, part of him was jealous that he did not get to spend a lot of time alone with Gail anymore and he could not shake his feeling of being pushed out.

'Your cousin would be devastated if she knew you felt that way son' Lucas said sitting on the other side of his bed, inspecting a book on his bedside cabinet. Gail staying over at his place indicated that there was problems at home so he had came by to check it out.

Caleb rolled over off the bed and sighed. 'She'd be annoyed if she knew you were in here' he said while searching for a T Shirt to put on.

Lucas shook his head and laughed. 'Nah...that old cousin of yours is in a good mood this mornin' son and my visit wouldn't change that' he said knowingly, Gail had awoken in an irritable mood; however, he did not allow her out of his bed until they had worked off her frustration in the only way he knew how. It had been a good start to his morning.

'Well maybe I don't want company right now' Caleb said and continued searching for clothes to wear.

Lucas regarded his son carefully, it appeared that Gail was not the only one who had woken up in an irritable mood. 'So what, you just want to mope around all day listening to Johnny Cash? The man is a legend but that's no way to spend your Sunday son'

Caleb shrugged, 'What do you care? It's not as though you can do anything about it. The only time you can do anythin' with me is in secret and maybe I don't wanna sneak around like a criminal no more'

Lucas stood up and smiled, this little mood of Caleb's could finally get his plans back on track after being waylaid by Merlyn's appearance. 'Well hurry up getting dressed and come on then'

Caleb turned towards Lucas as he pulled on a T Shirt and found a pair of jeans to put on. 'Come on where?'

Lucas opened the bedroom door and signalled for Caleb lead the way. 'Why straight to your cousin silly, you said you didn't wanna hide no more'

Caleb regarded Lucas suspiciously, after the heated words he had with Gail last night he did not think this was a good idea; however, he trusted Lucas would not let him get into trouble so he led the way downstairs.

* * *

Merlyn sat at the kitchen table patiently waiting for her breakfast and stroking Rocky who had decided to rest his head on her knee. Gail had not long returned home after staying out all night, presumably with Lucas and although she did not approve of her cousins choice to leave them alone for the night, Gail had ensured she was back early enough to cook breakfast and had admitted to trusting her to look after Caleb.

It felt good to be trusted by her cousin and the responsibility of taking care of her brother shifted her focus from the terrifying situation she was in. Merlyn was trying to engross herself in normal mundane things to distract herself from the screams of uncertainty that were coming from within her. Not knowing how she had come to being whole again was worse than the act itself; however, she was comforted slightly by the fact that it was a member of her family that had done this somehow and not Lucas.

'So he stayed in his room all night after I left?' Gail asked as she scrambled some eggs in a pan.

Merlyn pushed down her thoughts and returned her attention to her cousin. 'Yep, you know he never used to be this sulky when he was younger...' she started, then stopped herself when she realised she was talking about a time before Gail had came to Trinity.

Gail looked over her shoulder slightly, then chose to disregard the comment. 'Everything has been so different recently, he's had to take a lot in. He needs more stability in his life, but between me working then dealing with Matt and Lucas I don't even know where to begin with making a normal life for him' she said thinking out loud.

Merlyn stood up and walked to the refrigerator to make all three of them a glass of pure orange juice to go with breakfast. 'You're doin' your best Gail, you dealin' with drama is more natural to you than bein' a mother and that's understandable. Caleb knows deep down that you sacrificed a lot to take care of him, it's just nothin' is straight forward when Lucas Buck is involved and it's unfortunate he owns a part of Caleb'

Gail put the scrambled eggs in a bowl next to a large plate of bacon, rinsed her hands then ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. 'What do you know about Lucas's involvement with Caleb? You appear to be very clued up on his situation for a friend who I only heard about a few months ago'

Merlyn inhaled deeply and decided to try the honest approach again, hoping it would be more successful than the last time they had told Gail the truth. 'We've told you Gail, I'm family. I know it's hard to accept and if I was in your shoes I probably wouldn't believe it either, but that's the truth and that's how I know so much about Lucas' she said and waited for Gail's response. When her cousin did not say a word Merlyn turned around slowly and took a step back when she realised it was not her cousins eye's she was staring into.

The darkness smiled wickedly, she had taken control effortlessly as soon as the sickeningly sweet girl in front of her started to speak of being family. This vessel she had grown fond of was not ready for this truth and although Gail suspected some bond between them all, she was still in denial and the darkness would keep it that way for as long as her partner needed. 'Now, now Merly Ann, I do believe I've warned you before of this type of conversation' she said slowly stalking the girl around the kitchen.

Merlyn moved slowly watching the deviant thing in front of her that had taken over her cousin, if there was ever a time that she needed her ghostly assistance this was it. 'I'm just answering a question...' she said, not showing any weakness '...who are you?'

The darkness laughed then shook her head in a scolding manner. 'That's between me and Gail...for someone who was so sick of her saintly image, you're not doing much with your new found condition' she said, running her fingers over the kitchen counter as she continued to stalk her prey.

Merlyn gulped nervously, she was scared but this thing intrigued her. She started to wonder how long it had been occupying her cousin and whether this is what Lucas was so drawn to.

'For a little church mouse you sure do have a lot of questions' the darkness said reading her mind. 'Occupying is such a condemnatory term, me and Gail go way back to before you were born and I can assure you that we have a mutually beneficial relationship. Now you don't need to concern yourself with Lucas Buck and what he or Gail are drawn to, you need to take care of yourself and that little brother of yours'

Merlyn stopped circling at the mention of Caleb. 'What about my brother?' she asked boldly.

The darkness stopped, sighed and rolled her eyes. 'You know, Gail is much more forgiving than I am...I'm not that fond of the little twerp and had he pulled that stunt when I was in control, he would've been dealt with swiftly without remorse and she would've been mothering her baby by now'

Merlyn took a step forward to challenge the thing before her. 'That wasn't his fault, something had taken over him and...'

'Excuses, excuses...' sighed the darkness and took a sip of pure orange from one of the glasses Merlyn had filled earlier, '...regardless of why it happened, had Gail accepted me by that time the whole situation would have played out differently. It doesn't matter now anyway, thanks to me this has worked out well for you and I'm now the only thing in here...it's nice and peaceful again like it used to be before the 'accident''

'What do you mean?' Lucas asked entering the kitchen. He had sensed Gail's darkness had surfaced as Caleb led him down the stairs and had sent his son back to his bedroom to retrieve something, which would keep him out of the way. When he heard the conversation turn towards Caleb and his unborn child he decided to wait until the opportune moment to see what information he could gather.

The darkness turned towards Lucas and smiled devilishly, she had sensed him a while ago and wondered how long it would take him to show himself. 'You know I can't decide what I think of you...part of me is fond of you, while another part wants to rip you apart limb from limb'

Lucas smiled when he felt his twin just below his surface, the unexpected appearances of this part of his love entertained him and his twin was itching to come out and play. 'One day we'll have to see whether you can actually take me, I doubt you can but it would be fun to find out...now you listen to me, that boy up there is mine and he's protected'

The darkness laughed fiendishly, 'It's a shame you didn't feel that way about your other boy...At least he came in useful for someone when I finally found a way to dispel him out of Gail, now all I need to do is remove your appeal from her eyes and we're all set'

Lucas stared confused at the presence possessing his love for a moment, then when the realisation of what had been done to make Merlyn whole again came he flew over to Merlyn and grabbed her throat tight. 'You took his soul?' he asked angrily as Merlyn clawed at his hand and gasped for air.

The darkness smiled and shook her head, 'This is too easy' she said then retreated back down within Gail and gave her back control so she could witness what Lucas was doing. Gail felt a sudden feeling of nausea then shook it off when she saw Lucas seemingly strangling M. Gail rushed over to the pair and gripped Lucas' wrist tight. 'What are you doing? Get off her!' she yelled and pulled M to the far side of the kitchen away from him when he released her.

Lucas was panting with fury, how had he not realised the only way Merlyn could truly be alive is by taking the soul of another was beyond him. It never occurred to him that the spirit of their unborn child could still remain within Gail and now it had been used against him to make his nemesis whole.

Merlyn held her throat and inhaled deeply to get some air into her starved lungs. She felt sick with the revelation that it was Lucas' son that had made her whole again and wanted to run away from the situation; however, Gail's protective arms around her provided some comfort and made her want to stay.

Caleb entered the kitchen holding a baseball cap and walked over to the glasses of pure orange juice, oblivious to what had just happened. He took a large gulp then turned towards Gail and Merlyn, then towards Lucas. 'What did I miss?' he asked concerned, when he saw Gail was holding Merlyn.

Gail stroked Merlyn's hair reassuringly then walked towards Caleb. 'I have no idea but it looks like we both missed it' she said looking at Lucas disapprovingly, not remembering anything that happened after her darkness took control.

Lucas regained his composure and forced a laugh, her darkness had chosen the perfect moment to give her back control so she could see him appearing to hurt a child for no reason. He glanced at Merlyn who shot an apologetic look at him, clearly this revelation had been a shock to her too. 'Everything's fine son, why don't you grab some grub then we'll head straight out'

Gail looked at Caleb then Lucas confused. 'Out where?'

Lucas walked over to Gail when Caleb started filling a plate with food and stroked her back gently. 'Your cousin wants some family time so we're goin' fishin''

Gail laughed and shook her head, he was acting as if she had not just caught him with his hands around a young girls throat. 'Is that so? Who's we?' she asked playing along reluctantly when she saw M had sat down at the table and started to eat.

Lucas smiled, 'Why that would be me, you and the boy' he said and brushed his lips over her bare shoulder when the children were not watching.

Gail sighed with how normal everyone was acting all of a sudden and she was beginning to doubt what she had saw. 'No...' she said sternly, '...we'll do something with M'

Merlyn ate some eggs and ignored the pain as she swallowed. What Lucas did was a spontaneous reaction and although she knew what he was capable of, she did not believe he was a threat to her or her family and his reaction was more to do with the soul of his son being used in such a manner. She was more concerned with the information she had learned and she needed time alone to think. 'You all go, I think I'm gonna go to a church service today...it's been a while since I took in a sermon' she said, not caring at this moment in time about Caleb spending time with Lucas.

Lucas pinched Gail's behind playfully, 'It's settled then' he said and took a seat at the table ignoring Gail's disapproving look.

* * *

Ben Healy stumbled out of his house in a white vest and boxer shorts, he had continued drinking until the early hours of the morning with Billy and when he woke up to his unconscious friend on his couch surrounded by beer cans, he rushed around the place gathering all the cans before Rita turned up.

It was 13:30pm and the sun was high in the sky, Ben had to shield his eyes from the brightness as he took to bag of cans to the bin. As he walked down the path he caught sight of someone familiar and cursed to himself. 'Merlyn Ann Temple, what are you doin' botherin' me on a Sunday?' he asked not believing his luck. He had not seen Merlyn since just after Lucas was dug up and it never ended well when he was visited by her.

Merlyn had been walking aimlessly around the street when the church service had let out, she had been hoping to obtain some guidance; however, all she was left with was more questions. She had spotted Ben stumbling down the path and could not help but smile at the man who had opened his mind to her presence on so many occasions. He had not been to Gail's house while she was there, so as far as she was aware he was unaware of her situation. 'Relax Ben, I'm just passing by and thought I'd say Hi'

Ben shook his head, then held his hand up to it at the throbbing pain that seared through him due to his hangover. He squinted his eyes at Merlyn who was wearing a long pale blue dress and white shoes, she looked different somehow and he could not quite put his finger on why.

Billy came up behind Ben and took the bag of can's out of his hand, he was used to drinking so much and the hangover did not bother him. He threw the bag in the trash and turned towards the girl on the path. 'M...What are you doin' here petal?' he asked.

Ben stared at Billy shocked, 'You can see her?'

Billy laughed and patted Ben's back playfully. 'How much did you drink friend? Of course I can see her, I wasn't aware that you'd met Gail's new housemate'

Merlyn smiled at the playful bond the two men had, it was clear that they liked each others company and it was nice to see Ben with someone who could make him relax. 'We go way back...' she said to Billy, '...I'm just on my way back from church, Caleb and Gail are out with Lucas so I'm on my own today'

Billy shook his head, he hated the thought of Gail getting cosy with Lucas and now it appeared he had convinced her to allow Caleb to join in. It amazed him how the man appeared to make sensible people disregard their common sense and allow him into their lives. He was fun enough as a drinking buddy once in a while; however, Billy still despised the man when he was sober. 'It's not right for you to be alone on a Sunday, why don't you stay with us for a few hours?'

Ben did not understand what was going on or why Billy was talking to Merlyn as if she was not dead, but he wanted no part of it. 'I have to wait for my other half to come by, she might not take too well to a young girl being here'

'Your other half is with Selena and won't be here for a long while due to how much alcohol they consumed last night...would you rather leave this poor innocent girl to fend for herself? I didn't realise you were that heartless Deputy' he said sarcastically.

Ben sighed and looked at Merlyn who was giggling, then smiled himself. 'Fine, let me put some clothes on then we'll sort something out'

* * *

Caleb sat back in his chair next to Lucas at Johnsons bridge, holding his fishing rod. It was a quiet day and only a few other residents were out fishing, but they were situated a lot further down on the bridge so they were not a disturbance. Gail had made sandwiches to take with them and had reluctantly joined them after being persuaded by Lucas; however, she had brought her laptop along so she could work, as she was not interested in fishing.

Lucas glanced towards Gail who was sat at the other side of Caleb, then leaned in close to his boy. 'Is this what you had in mind son?' he whispered.

Caleb glanced at Gail to ensure she could not hear them and leaned closer to Lucas. 'I don't know how you do it, but I like it' he whispered laughing.

Gail looked up from her laptop and rolled her eyes at them both trying to laugh discreetly. 'What are you two whispering about?' she asked feigning a scolding manner, still typing up her story. The fresh air cleared her mind and gave her clarity, which enabled her to add to her Juniper article.

Lucas situated his rod securely in a gap in the bridge, then stood up and approached her. 'We're just talking about how nice this time together is, it's not often the boy gets to spend some quality time with his whole family' he whispered in her ear as he sat down next to her.

Gail closed her laptop and turned her full attention towards him. 'I don't know what game you're playing Lucas, but I'm not impressed'

Lucas put and arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, then inhaled her scent. 'There's no game Darlin', the boy was feeling left out and wanted to spend time with us both so here we are'

Gail closed her eyes and bit her lip with the sensation of him being so close, she could feel his breath on her neck as he leaned in closer to her. 'Why did he come to you and not me?' she asked quietly.

Lucas shrugged, 'Maybe he finds it easier to talk to his father' he whispered then kissed her neck softly.

Gail pulled away from his grasp and shook her head. 'Don't start this with me now'

Lucas glanced towards Caleb to make sure his attention was still on fishing, then wrapped one arm around her waist again and moved another to the top of her thigh. 'I'm statin' a fact Darlin', it's not my intention to offend you...now calm down and just enjoy this for what it is' he said and nipped at ear.

Gail closed her legs tight in an attempt to push away the aroused feeling that he stirred so effortlessly within her, she hated that he was forcing her to acknowledge the parentage of her cousin; however, she could not deny that it did feel nice spending some relaxing time together and this way she did not feel she was neglecting Caleb.

Lucas smiled as he sensed her guard dropping, even with the dark presence within her she could not resist him. It gave him a sense of pride knowing he could have her whenever he wanted and she was powerless to stop it, she was truly his and now he just needed to figure out how to combine their relationship with Caleb then he would finally have what he wanted.

He brushed her loose flowing brown hair off her shoulder then began to nuzzle her neck and kiss it softly. It was getting harder for him to control himself around her, especially when she made subtle gestures of acceptance like moving her head slightly to give him more access to her neck even though Caleb was around. Lucas should be concerned with his son being so close; however, his desire was getting the better of him and it would do the boy no harm witnessing their affection, providing they could keep it at a child friendly manner.

Gail inhaled deeply at the feeling of his lips on her bare skin, this was not the place or the time to be doing this and she knew they were acting like a pair of teenagers who could not keep their hands off each other; however, she could see Caleb's eyes were fixed firmly on the water and there was no one else close to catch them. 'Stop' she whispered, attempting to be responsible.

Lucas glanced at his boy again to confirm he was not interested in them, then tangled his hands in her hair and kissed her softly. 'I couldn't stop right now if I wanted to Darlin'...' he whispered in her ear, '...Besides, you can't tell me this isn't excitin''

He was not wrong and the threat of them getting caught was exhilarating to Gail. She allowed him to kiss her more passionately then moved her hand down to his thigh and squeezed tightly, she smiled at his intake of breath and was happy that he was suffering with their restrictions too. 'You planned this little family outing Sheriff, you need to behave yourself' she whispered sarcastically as she ran her hand further up his thigh.

Lucas licked his lips in arousal, he could sense her playfulness had surfaced and now cursed himself that they were out in the open with their present company. 'Careful Darlin'...' he whispered leaning in closer, '...I'm not above throwing you down right here and taking you'

Gail bit her lip suggestively and smiled sweetly, 'Oh but whatever would your boy think?'

Lucas moved his hand under Gail's vest and ran his fingers down her back, causing her to tense. 'Right now I couldn't give a damn what he thinks' he whispered leaning in for another kiss.

'Well fancy seeing you good people all the way out here' Abe called out as he approached the group from Caleb's side. He had been reluctant to accept Gail's unexpected invitation to join them fishing; however, now that he saw how close Lucas was to her he understood why she wanted a chaperone.

Gail pulled away from Lucas' grasp and smiled triumphantly, Abe's timing could not be any better. 'Uh oh, it looks like daddy's home...' she said playfully and got up from her seated position. '...Caleb, you remember my Uncle Abe don't you?'

Caleb glanced towards Lucas who looked irritated then towards Abe. 'Yes ma'am, I got my Halloween costume from his shop'

Abe smiled and set his fishing gear down between Gail's laptop and Caleb. 'You certainly did Champ and I seem to recall hearing you won a prize for being the best dressed'

'Yes sir I did' Caleb nodded proudly and returned his attention towards his rod, so far he had not caught a thing but he had high hopes that he would before the day was through.

Lucas stood up and forced a smile, trying to hide his irritation. 'Afternoon friend, to what do we owe the pleasure?' he asked.

Abe laughed and started to set up his gear, 'The pleasure isn't for you boy...how could I pass up the opportunity to spend some time with my Rosie?'

Gail smiled and patted Abe on the shoulder affectionately. 'Well this is family time and it wouldn't be right not to extend an invite to my unofficial Uncle'

Lucas sighed, she had clearly invited the man so she did not have to be alone with him and Caleb. He would give Gail her dues, it was well played and he had not expected them to be having company, besides it could be worse and she could have invited Billy-boy instead. At least Abe was an old friend who knew better than to get in his way intentionally, the man could not be blamed for wanting to spend time with Gail and he only came because she wanted him to.

Gail walked up to Lucas and stood in front of him, blocking Caleb's and Abe's view. 'Cheer up Sheriff...' she whispered as she ran her hands discreetly down his chest, '...you are getting time with Caleb out in the open and there's plenty of time for us to pick up where we left off later'

Lucas cupped her chin gently in his hand and kissed her, ignoring Abe's disapproving stare. 'You can count on that Darlin'' he said then returned to his seated position on the other side of Caleb.

* * *

Matt Crower stood pacing in his cell, ever since his visit from Lucas he had been contemplating a way to get out of here without Gail having to be involved. He did not want to make a deal with Lucas, he could not think of anything worse; however, the man had nearly convinced him to do so until a young nurse had rescued him from what could have been one of the worst decision of his life.

Matt had not seen the young nurse before, or since for that matter. She had a familiar feel to her but also gave of an aura of mischief, he was not sure what the young woman had been doing in the part of Juniper that was known for it's dangerous inmates; however, she had not appeared scared or even intimidated by the comments and yells of the inmates as she had led him down the corridor.

There was something that she said to him when they were alone in the courtyard and he could not get it out of his head, she had told him that sometimes people had to make sacrifices and step out of character to accomplish their desired goal. She also told him that he was required take a leap of faith and trust in his friends when the time came, he had no idea what this meant and had tried to question the young nurse further; however, she had left him in the yard and never returned after that.

Matt had been plagued by even stranger dreams than usual ever since that day, the dreams consisted of a ravenous dog ripping into raw flesh and he would awake covered in sweat early each morning in a dazed state. His lack of understanding of everything was beginning to bother him and the cell felt as though it was closing in on him. Matt walked over to the small window that had so often eased his distress in an attempt to calm himself; however, his safe spot no longer appeared to comfort him and it just reminded him that he was locked inside this cell like a common criminal.

Matt suddenly felt a presence inside the cell with him and he spun around trying to locate the cause of the disturbance. Surveying the room only confirmed that he was in fact alone but Matt knew he was being watched and his heart began to pound in his chest. Could this be Lucas toying with him or possibly the mans inevitable execution of him? He had expected Lucas to make his move sooner: however, it was more cruel to wait until Matt had began to connect with the outside world and that was more Lucas' style.

He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. When nothing came, he was thoroughly confused and began to move around the room cautiously. A sudden sharp flash suddenly travelled through Matt's brain and a vision of a dog ripping into raw flesh was seared into his mind. Without thought or hesitation Matt bared his teeth and bit down hard on his wrist, then started gnawing at his skin.

* * *

Gail sat peacefully on river bank, dangling her bare feet in the water. The men had decided fishing was not going their way so Abe returned home and the original group of Caleb, Gail and Lucas opted for a quiet stroll by the river before heading back to Gail's place. The weather was surprisingly mild so Gail had allowed Caleb to step into the river with a small net to see if he could see any fish and she had stayed on the river bank with Lucas.

'This is nice' Lucas said sitting down with his legs stretched out next to her and watching Caleb carefully wade deeper into the water.

Gail smiled, it actually was nice and relaxing here. She had not wanted to enjoy the time with her present company; however, he had made her feel at ease and had not tried to dominate the situation as much as she had initially thought. 'I suppose it's not the worst day I've had in this town' she joked and allowed him to stroke her back gently.

Just as Lucas leaned in for a kiss while Caleb's attention was elsewhere, Gail heard her mobile telephone ring and reached for her bag. She frowned when she saw Junipers number flash on her phone and sighed. 'Hello?' she said, not impressed by the interruption.

Lucas moved his head down to her shoulder and kissed it softly, then stared up in confusion when Gail pulled away from him sharply and stood up.

'He did what?...I'll be right there' Gail said concerned and hung up the phone, then began to search for her boots. 'Caleb get out of the water, we're leaving' she called as she pulled on her boots.

Lucas stood up and approached her, not happy that his seemingly perfect afternoon had been interrupted. 'What's goin' on Darlin'? Did Harvard slip and hurt himself?' he asked sarcastically.

Gail glared at Lucas, 'You bastard...he better be OK' she whispered accusingly, then threw Caleb his shoes and signalled for him to hurry.

Lucas laughed to hide his irritation, he did not appreciate her tone especially when he was unaware of what had suddenly prompted this hostile reaction. 'You seem upset so I'm gonna let that language slide this once, now what's caused this mood?'

Gail shook her head in disbelief, did he genuinely believe she would not know this was him? When Caleb looked at her confused she stroked his head reassuringly, gave him her car keys and signalled for him to go wait for her. She waited until he had said his goodbye to Lucas and then regarded Lucas angrily. 'I don't know what you thought this would achieve or how you pulled it off, but you better hope Matt pulls through' she said and stormed up to her car.

Lucas watched Gail walk away dumbfounded, he had no idea what he was supposed to have done or what Harvard had gotten himself into. When Gail reached her car and shot him a final resentful glance, Lucas could have sworn he saw a slight glint of malice in her eyes and a devilish grin come over her face.

-To be continued-


	6. Chapter 6

Matt Crower lay in the hospital bed, drowsy from the pain killers he had been given. After the incident he had been rushed to Fulton County General Hospital for proper medical care and Billy Peele had been called in to look over his wounds. Billy had regarded him disappointingly and warned him that he was calling Gail; therefore, he better get his story straight. Matt had been trying to figure out what had happened ever since.

He could hear voices outside of the door, one was Doctor Monroe, one Billy and the other was unmistakably Gail. His friend sounded furious which was unusual as she did not normally let her emotions publicly get the better off her, so he skulked down in his bed and waited for her inevitable scolding.

* * *

Gail stood with her hands placed firmly on her hips, regarding the incompetent man in front of her. She was beyond angry at this situation and Doctor Monroe was getting the full brunt of her fury at this moment in time. 'So let me get this straight, a sensible Harvard graduated Doctor managed to gnaw at his own wrists in an attempt to commit suicide and you expect me to believe your corrupt establishment had nothing to do with it? Come on Doctor, even you're not so stupid that you would believe that's going to fly'

Doctor Monroe took a deep breath and looked to Billy for help; however, he was just as angry as Gail. 'Look Hun, I can't help it if the inmates try to hurt themselves'

Billy laughed at the mans blatant disregard to Gail's comments, he knew Matt was not unstable enough to try and take his own life. 'Firstly, she's not your Hun...' Billy snapped defensively, '...and secondly, if the man was going to attempt to commit suicide don't you think he would've done it long before now. It doesn't make sense that this would happen after things seem to be looking up for the guy and what certainly doesn't add up is why it took your attendants so long to discover what had happened. The man had passed out from blood loss for god's sake, what type of facility are you running?'

'The type to house the worst mental criminals in Trinity Doctor...you should show this man some respect for taking the damaged patients that you can't' Lucas said as he approached the group casually.

Gail exhaled deeply in frustration, she had left Lucas at Johnson's Bridge and dropped Caleb off with Abe hoping to get to the bottom of what happened before Lucas spun the evidence around to his way. It had not taken him long to get here and clearly his instincts were telling him to defend the idiot in front of her. 'This man deserves no respect, he's just one of your many servants who mindlessly runs an amoral institute. He's lucky I'm here rather than exposing the place on the front page of tomorrows Guardian' she said angrily.

Lucas laughed and stepped in front of Doctor Monroe, so the focus was not on the man. Doctor Monroe had a bewildered look which indicated he had no idea what was going on and Lucas did not want him saying anything stupid. 'Come down off your ivory tower Darlin', it must be mighty lonely up there...' he said sardonically, '...If you had enough hard evidence to expose Juniper you would've done it by now, pipe down with your idle threats and let the man with the star determine what happened here'

Billy could not believe the disrespectful way this arrogant man had just regarded his friend, his instincts screamed for him to jump forward and defend her honour; however, he had been warned by Selena to keep out of Lucas' way when his behaviour changed like this and he had promised that he would heed her warning.

Gail smiled at Lucas' brazenness, she should be offended; however, it was not often that she came across a man who could challenge her so boldly and part of her applauded his efforts. 'Oh come on Sheriff, if I waited for the man with the star to get to the truth I'd have grey hair. I hate to break this to you, but you're no Columbo. Besides, I'm not allowing you anywhere near him alone'

'The lady is right...' Billy interjected, '...Matt Crower is my patient and the only person other than me authorised to speak to him is his next of kin'

'You're his next of kin now? How noble of you' Lucas said sarcastically.

Gail smiled, 'It appears I am. It looks like you'll have to postpone your interrogation Sheriff' she said smugly and followed Billy into the room leaving Lucas to talk with Doctor Monroe.

Lucas turned towards the man and dragged him into an empty room. 'I thought I made myself clear when I said no-one messes with Matt Crower except' he said with an eerie calmness about him and allowed his twin to come out to play.

Doctor Monroe backed up slightly as the door slammed shut behind Lucas without being touched and he felt his heart begin to beat faster. 'No-one went near him Lucas I swear, he was locked away as usual and...'

'And what?...' Lucas asked taking a few steps closer to the man, '...and he somehow managed to slit his wrists on your watch?'

Doctor Monroe felt a tightness in his chest and he was pushed by some invisible force against the wall, he did not know what was more frightening the lack of oxygen that appeared to be reaching his lungs or Lucas' look of rage.

Lucas sensed his twin place a hand around the mans heart and begin to squeeze, he had finally managed to make things go his way with both Caleb and Gail; however, this little interference would set him back if Gail believed it was him that hurt Harvard. The thought of all his hard work unravelling filled him with a rage he could not control and he watched as the life was squeezed out of the man in front of him. 'Do you know what this little stunt could cost me? I should've been rid of you a long time ago...you can't even keep the goings on in your asylum discreet from a Reporter, I'm failing to find any need for you right now' he said shaking his head in disappointment.

Doctor Monroe clawed at his chest when he felt something clamp around his heart and started to pant painfully, he wanted to run from this room but he felt as though he was stuck to the wall and he could not move. Everyone had heard stories about Lucas Buck and the repercussions of crossing the man; however, he had only ever followed Lucas' orders and he had not intended to cause the man any problems. 'Lucas please...I only ever tried to serve you'

Lucas laughed devilishly and watched intently as his twin continued on with his game. His twin would not ease the man's suffering as that would be too humane, no his twin would make this man suffer for the inconvenience he had caused him and no amount of pleading would save him now. Lucas smiled wickedly when Doctor Monroe's eyes began to bulge and his skin turned a red colour, not only was his twin intent on stopping the mans heart he appeared to be burning him from the inside out.

Doctor Monroe tried to scream but he felt an invisible hand around his mouth, he could not speak or plead for mercy all he could do was wait for the inevitable end and hope it would come soon. He gasped for breath while feeling his blood boiling inside his body, the pain was excruciating and when his heart could finally take no more he collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

Lucas took a deep satisfying breath as his twin retreated back inside and stared at the lifeless body on the floor. He would have to appoint a new head of Juniper due to the good Doctors accident and considered the candidates as he went to find Nurse Stacey to verify Doctor Monroe's natural heart attack.

* * *

Matt stared down at his wrists as Billy examined him, he was ashamed of his actions and did not want to face the obvious disappointed that would be painted all over Gail's face; therefore, he chose to remain silent while Billy checked him over and did not look at her.

'Well you seem as healthy as you could be after this type of thing, I'll have to keep you under observation to make sure you don't endanger yourself' he said and starting filling out Matt's chart.

Gail shook her head at the cowardice way Matt was holding himself, the man she had grown to know would never take the easy way out no matter how much he was suffering and she was at a loss as to why this had happened. 'Just tell me one thing, was this down to Lucas? Did he somehow put you up to this?' she asked, trying to find some explanation as to why Matt had done this to himself.

Part of Matt wanted to blame Lucas, he knew Gail well enough to know it would cause complications for her relationship with the evil man and could in fact break them up; however, he respected her too much to lie. 'It wasn't him...' Matt sighed, '...I don't know why I did it'

Gail laughed sarcastically. 'Brilliant, so you don't know why you bit into your wrist and ripped off your flesh with your teeth...that just fills me with confidence about your sanity'

'Gail...' Billy started, but was cut off abruptly.

'What you're gonna defend his actions? At least if he said it was Lucas it would give me someone to pin this on rather than making me doubt my decision of trusting him with Caleb recently. Jesus, if you've snapped that's something I need to know!' she shouted and started pacing the room in an attempt to calm down and regain her composure.

Matt watched his friend pacing and felt sickened by himself for causing her uncertainty when she had tried her best to help him. He went to open his mouth to apologise; however, her voice echoed within his mind to keep quiet, he did not know why he was hearing her speak in his subconscious but he chose to listen.

Billy glanced at Matt who failed to attempt to comfort Gail and shook his head. 'No-one was to know the stress of that place would have this affect on him Gail, you've told me on several occasions that you know in your gut he's not a danger to anyone...something clearly happened to cause this'

Gail appreciated Billy's attempts to talk her down, he was right that her instincts told her Matt was not dangerous and she usually listened to her subconscious; however, her subconscious was aware that Lucas was a corrupt, inhuman individual and chose to disregard these characteristics, therefore, she was not sure she could trust her instincts as much as she used to.

'That's a cheap shot Darlin'' Lucas said reading her mind as he leaned against the closed door.

'This is a private conversation Sheriff, I didn't even hear you come in' Billy said placing himself in front Gail.

Gail walked past Billy and went protectively to Matt's side. 'I don't recall giving authority for your interrogation yet Sheriff' she said and touched Matt's arm reassuringly.

Lucas approached the hospital bed and disregarded Gail's comment. 'Well well Doc, I never thought I'd see the day when you gave up the fight'

Gail shook her head and shot a concerned glance at Matt, who just smiled back at Lucas. He did not know how but his friends voice in his head had told him to wait for Lucas' arrival and told him what to say now. 'I just couldn't hack it one more night in that hell hole Sheriff, with the constant screaming and tormenting it's no wonder I didn't snap sooner'

Gail took hold of Matt's hand and turned towards Lucas. 'See what that place does to a healthy professional person, it's drained the sanity out of him and he's been held accountable for his actions long enough'

'I agree...' Billy interjected, '...this man had a case of temporary insanity last year, he has shown signs of being healthy and rehabilitated. This act only goes to show what a place like that can push a man to for some release'

Lucas looked from Gail to Matt, then to Billy in disbelief. He did not like the way this conversation was going and although Doctor Monroe could never give up any of his secrets due to his state of being, he had no doubt Gail would continue to delve into the ongoing's in Juniper while Harvard was still around. 'That man tried to kill me, I can assure you it's not a cell that has made him crazy'

'No it was just you...' Matt said sitting up fully, still obediently repeating what the voice in his head was telling him to. '...Your incessant mithering and lack of morals when it came to these townspeople, not to mention the patient I was treating who claimed to know you...'

'Now, now Harvard...you watch your tongue, unless you want someone to cut it out' Lucas said momentarily letting his frustration show.

Gail stepped forward and took hold of Lucas' hand. Much like he often took advantage of her anger, the presence inside her was calling for her to take advantage of his. She pulled him to the far side of the room by an open window and leaned in close. 'He could've blamed you for this, but he didn't' she said moving her head close to his.

'Am I to be thankful that I wasn't accused of something I didn't do Darlin'?' Lucas asked through gritted teeth, he felt his twin trying to crawl out and deal with Harvard; however, he was not yet at the point where assistance was needed.

Gail laughed, placed her hand gently around his head and pulled him close so her lips brushed teasingly against his ear. 'You should be thankful that he's not given me a reason to discard you Sheriff' she whispered.

Lucas glanced at Billy and Matt who were watching them closely, then stared into her eye's. 'You couldn't if you wanted to Darlin'' he whispered, then placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Gail smiled, she could sense him begin to soften. 'Maybe not, but I guarantee I wouldn't let you touch me if I found out you had anything to do with this. He had the opportunity to drop you in it but he didn't, that shows he isn't out for you anymore. If he remains in Juniper after the blatant lack of supervision that this proves is going on, I'll have no choice but to submit my story with the circumstantial evidence I have...If you thought the Goat Town article was bad, you won't know what hit you with this one'

Lucas grabbed her hips tight and pulled her roughly to him, ignoring Billy's readiness to come to Gail's aid. 'I don't react well to threats Darlin'' he stated sternly.

'No threat here, I'm stating the facts Sheriff' she said challenging him and licked her lips seductively, using his desire for her to her advantage.

Lucas shook his head, she was like a dog with a bone but he could fell his manhood harden at their closeness. 'So I'm just to let him go free? What's in it for me?' he asked playing along.

'Apart from the joy you should get from relieving all my stress?...' she asked sarcastically, '...Play your cards right and I might just allow this little Sunday outing with Caleb to become a regular thing, while he wants it that is'

Lucas laughed, 'You're gonna use my boy?'

Gail shrugged, she had not planned on using Caleb; however, the presence within her helped her realise that Caleb wants to spend time with Lucas anyway so she might as well use it to her favour. 'Using is such a judgemental term...I'm merely offering to step aside momentarily from something you want, in return for you to do the same'

Lucas considered her proposal, he had initially made a deal with her to allow Caleb to stay at his house once a week; however, that had not progressed and with the strange occurrences that happened when she was on his property, being able to spend time with his son unchallenged somewhere else could work out well. 'That man doesn't want you making a deal for him' he said quietly.

Gail smiled, 'Then it will be out little secret' she whispered and nipped at his ear.

Lucas looked longingly at her moist lips, then took a step back to regain full control of his senses. Being this close to her scrambled his brain and he needed to fully consider the implications of this arrangement, as he was not sure he was ready to allow Matt back in the game when it had taken him so long to get rid of him.

'I thought you liked a challenge Sheriff...' Gail goaded, reading his mind, '...Besides, you control most of the pieces on this board, what can one more lone pawn do to tip the scales against your favour?'

Lucas shook his head and smiled, he was not one to turn down a challenge and she was beginning to play the game well. 'If Billy-boy here can keep him under tight supervision I'll back off, but if he can't..'

'Oh he will, there's no but's about it' Gail interrupted, not giving Lucas a chance to second guess his decision.

Lucas inhaled deeply and started walking out of the room. 'I'm gonna go check on your cousin. Get him cleaned up...' he said signalling towards Matt, '...I'm sure the boy is worried and will want to see him'

Gail turned towards Billy and Matt then smiled when Lucas left the room. 'I think that's settled'

Matt glanced at the door to make sure Lucas was not coming back in to retract what appeared to have been decided and smiled. 'I'm staying?' he asked in disbelief.

Billy patted him on the back reassuringly. 'It look's like you are bud' he said and smiled triumphantly with Gail.

* * *

Lucas returned home after dropping Caleb off a the Boarding house with Merlyn, he was agitated with the quick decision he had been forced into and left Gail to sort Matt's arrangements out at Juniper.

For once he was happy that she was not around, now that he had peace and quiet he started to consider the possibility that he had been tricked into submission by her. Lucas had never been put in a position where he felt the need to make a rash decision and the more he thought about it, the more he felt played. He knew Harvard did not have it in him to give up and commit suicide, especially by gnawing at his own wrists due to lack of proper materials. This meant he must have been pushed to the action and the only other thing at play besides him and Merlyn Ann was Gail.

Lucas entered his house through the front door and hung his jacket up. He considered Gail having a hand in Harvard's actions, he knew she would not bring herself to promote anything like that which meant her darkness had taken a road trip without Lucas or Gail realising. This whole situation was concerning; therefore, he decided he would change into something more comfortable and ponder what had happened over a drink.

Lucas slowly climbed the stairs in his hallway and made his way to the bedroom, he usually just discarded his shirt in his study and walked around the house topless; however, he felt the urge to find some suitable comfortable clothing to help him fully relax. When he entered the bedroom he was taken aback by the multitude of candles which were lit around the place and spotted Gail seemingly naked asleep on his bed.

Lucas sighed at the sight of her and all bad feelings against her disappeared. He quietly approached the bed, pulled down the sheets then smiled when his initial thought had been confirmed and ran his hand gently over her bare breast. Gail stirred and moaned slightly under his touch, which prompted him to move his hand further down her body. He let his hand linger on her stomach for a moment, thinking about what he had learned about how Merlyn had come to being whole again then pushed the thought away and trailed his hand down to the bare sweet spot between her legs.

Gail moaned in pleasure at the feel of his fingers playing with her then opened her eyes. 'Sorry, I must've dropped off' she said and propped herself up on her elbows.

Lucas continued to stroke the spot between her legs, watching as she slowly put her head back and ran her teeth over her bottom lip with the pleasure he was giving her. 'You must've had a hard day Miss Emory...I know something else that's hard' he said taking his hand back, pulling off his shirt and trousers then climbing on top of her.

Gail allowed him to wrap his arms around her and opened her legs ready for him, it was not often that they skipped foreplay and headed straight for this act; however, it had been a long strange day and she just wanted him inside her, so much so that she could not even bring herself to engage in their usual playful conversation. She ran her hands up his chest and to his face, then pulled him to her for a passionate kiss.

Lucas tangled his hand in her hair and pulled her head closer to his to make the kiss more intense, everything that had happened was forgotten and he just wanted her. His manhood was uncomfortably hard in his boxer shorts, as if reading his mind he felt her hand brush against him and carefully pull his shorts down to release him. Lucas pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath and ran his lips down her neck to her chest, then cupped a breast in his hand and began to suck.

Gail inhaled and exhaled deeply, she loved the stimulating sensation that his lips gave her and that coupled with his hands moving over her body was enough to nearly cause her to unravel. 'I want you inside me' she whispered as his relentless sucking continued.

Lucas had decided he wanted to make her come just by playing with her breasts; however, when the words left her mouth he could not resist the inevitable any longer and pushed his manhood inside her in a quick motion. He let out a loud moan when he felt her wall close in around him and did not move for a moment, then slowly began to push in and out of her.

Gail ran her hands over his back and gently scratched her nails down his skin, the movement Lucas was doing was different to their usual roughness and she could feel her climax slowly building inside her. She moved her hands to his behind then pulled him to her, trying to get him deeper inside her and he obliged by pushing himself as far as he could go. She moaned his name softly at the unexpected subtle movements and nipped at his shoulders playfully.

Lucas continued to push in and out of her with slow precision, the gentleness of his movements stirred an unusual feeling within him. For once he could sense only him and her, their counterparts were nowhere to be found and the slowness of the motions felt exquisite. Lucas ran his hands over her breasts then reached for her arms and pinned them above her head, still continuing his slow steady movement.

Just like her he felt his climax slowly rising inside him but he was not ready to let go just yet. When he felt them both nearing their orgasm, without thinking he pulled out of her and began kissing her neck softly. He smiled when he heard Gail's confused gasp and ran his lips up her neck, over her cheek then brushed them gently on her lips teasingly.

Gail nipped at his lips friskily, this game he was playing was not fair and she did not know what she felt of how gentle he was being. 'Is this my punishment for getting you to back off with Matt?' she whispered, willing him to enter her again.

Lucas stroked her cheek tenderly, cupped her chin and looked into her eyes. 'I wasn't aware you weren't enjoying yourself here...' he said and kissed her lips softly, '...Now, I don't want to hear another man's name when we're together in my bed, do you understand?'

Gail smiled at his comment and bit her lips teasingly, 'Well don't give me time to stop and think about other things when we're together in your bed Sheriff'

Lucas shook his head and pushed his manhood inside her, taking pleasure in her aroused yell. He thrust in and out of her roughly then slowed his pace again, wanting to take his time with this act. He did not know what had come over him; however, he was enjoying this intimacy and he would not be rushed.

Gail called out with intense gratification as he forced himself inside her, then began to moan softly at the gentle movements as he slowed his pace. When he released her wrists and ran his hands down her arms, she moved her hands over his body and clawed lightly at his chest. She could sense how close he was and willed him to let go, but when he only continued his steady pace she nipped at his ear. 'If you don't find your way to the end soon honey, I'm going to beat you too it' she panted and called out his name when he thrust into her hard to tease her.

'You'll control yourself now love and just enjoy what we're doing, rather than speeding to the end' he panted and sucked her neck.

Gail resented the insinuation that she wanted to rush, she pushed him so he removed himself from her and she could climb on top. As she straddled him she began to run her hands tenderly over his chest before placing him inside her, then started to move up and down gently. She bit her lip seductively and began riding him slow, matching the pace of his previous movements. He could never control himself for long when she was on top, it would be interesting to see how long he would last. 'You control yourself love...' she said satisfied with his moans of pleasure, '...if gentle is how you want it, gentle is how you'll get it'

Lucas reached up to her breasts and squeezed, then moved his hands down her body and to her stomach. He stroked her stomach tenderly and felt a slight feeling of loss before moving his hands to her behind. Her slow rhythm felt exquisite and it was taking all of his will power not throw her down and take her hard, especially when her breasts bounced as if teasing him with every motion.

This steady pace was killing Gail, her breath began to hasten at the intensity of the slow orgasm rising within her. She felt it building up higher as she rode him and dug her nails into his chest as a sign that this could not go on for much longer.

Lucas could sense how close she was and felt his orgasm rising within him. When he could hold off no longer he sat up to hold her fully and let go of his self control, then called out her name as his climax hit and he exploded inside her.

Gail felt his warm liquid fill her and bit down hard on his shoulder as her climax hit, then nestled her head into his neck panting. She felt his hands stroke her back affectionately and raised her head to his fervently.

Lucas held her tight to him and kissed her with a passionate intensity, he did not know why he had felt the need to have her this way; however, it satisfied his desire even though it would be classed as mundane. 'Well, this was a first' he whispered in her ear and bit her neck playfully.

Gail let out a tired laugh, 'If I didn't know better I'd say you wanted to make love Sheriff'

Lucas considered her words and smiled, 'Is that what the kids call it these days?...' he asked sarcastically, '...If making love is this good, we'll have to do it more often'

'I said if I didn't know you better...' she said slapping him playfully across the cheek, '...you don't know the meaning of love. Besides, what makes you think that's what I'd want from you?'

Lucas rolled her over with his manhood still within her, he could easily take her again but he was content just resting inside her for the moment. 'Isn't that what all women inevitably want Darlin'?' he asked and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

Gail licked then bit her bottom lip playfully. 'Not all women, you have a lot to learn...I favour a solitary life, I'd be happy with being left alone then having the odd intimate rendezvous once in a while when the mood strikes'

Lucas stroked his nose gently on hers then nipped the tip of her nose lightly. 'Unfortunately the custody agreement you got yourself into takes you away from what you favour Darlin' he laughed.

Gail shrugged, 'Oh well...we'll just have to make do won't we' she said and kissed him softly. There was a lot she needed to discuss with him including Matt, Caleb and the weirdness here that she was drawn too; however, for once she allowed herself to push thoughts of everyone else to one side and focus on what she wanted, which was him.

Lucas had sensed there were things on his love's mind and was surprised when she just allowed him to continue kissing her. There were things they needed to discuss and boundaries he needed set; however, that could all wait until the wake of a new day and he would just be content with enjoying her satisfying presence at this present time.

-The end-


End file.
